What We're Fighting For
by SkyDragonRoar
Summary: Natsu Dragneel, an aspiring boxer, meets Lucy Heartfilia, the daughter of a wealthy tyrant, and an unlikely friendship forms. But when the gym where Natsu has known as his second home for years is under threat of being demolished by none other than Jude Heartfilia, Will their friendship be jeopardised? will he have to step out of the ring and give up on his dream? NaLu AU.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Konichiwa! I'm back with yet ANOTHER Fairy Tail fanfic! (Is that reason to celebrate?) Anyway, it's an AU this time, actually inspired by my very own brother who is a boxer himself! Boxing is a big sport over here in Ireland and we have some great olympic boxers over here! (Can someone say John-Joe Nevin or Katie Taylor?! XD) Anyway, chapter 1!**

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN FAIRY TAIL!**

* * *

**~Natsu~**

Jab.

1-2.

Jab.

Jab.

1-2.

The rhythmic, continuous pattern ran through Natsu Dragneel's head repetitively as he clenched his fist tightly, hitting the punching bag suspended from the ceiling repeatedly. He kept on his toes constantly as he ducked, weaved, and threw more punches.

"Natsu!"

The salmon-haired boy (Pink, really, but he refused to let anyone call it that) stopped and pulled back, coming to a stand still. He turned to greet his coach and father, Igneel. Igneel was tall, lean and musclar. He had a shock of red hair and grey, scratchy stubble grew along his jawline. He had a towel slung over his should which he handed to Natsu, who accepted it gratefully. He wiped his sweaty face and the back of his neck.

"Training's over, Natsu." Igneel said, "All the other guys are gone home."

"Okay then."

"You gonna come home with me, or will you make your own way later?" Igneel asked.

"Nah, I told a few of the guys I'd meet them after training was over. I'll be home later."

"Ok. Grandine's making dinner, so be home by seven."

"Alright, dad. See ya."

"Don't be late!" Igneel called, raising an arm in farewell as he walked out the gym doors. Natsu began to unwind the wraps off his hands, rolling them back up neatly and shoving them in his bag. He draped the towel over his shoulders and headed into the back where the locker rooms were to take a shower, bringing his bag with him. He turned on the water and pulled off his sweaty shorts and t-shirt, stepping underneath the trickling warm water. After a few minutes he switched it off and stepped out, towelling himself dry and bending over to run the towel through his hair, too. Wrapping it around his waist, he went to his locker where he'd shoved his uniform after school, taking it out to put in his bag. He shoved his clothes from training in there too and put his boots back in his locker for the next day. Then changed into black jeans and a simple white t-shirt, lacing up black sneakers on his feet. Slinging his bag over his shoulder, he stepped outside into the cool air, pulling a hoodie on over his t-shirt. He checked his watch, which read 5.00pm. He'd agreed to meet his friends outside the café next to school as soon as he finished training. It would take him maybe fifteen minutes to walk there- leaving just under two hours before he had to get home. He started to walk towards it, whistling, his hands in the pockets of his jeans.

"Hey! Natsu!"

He heard his name being called and looked up to see Grey, waving him over. They were sitting outside the café, taking up two metal tables and chairs with cushioned seats. The sky was darkening, getting ready for night time, but it was still only late afternoon. He headed over, a grin plastered on his face, raising a hand casually in greeting.

"Hey, guys." He said. Grey Fullbuster, Loke Celeste, Elfman Strauss, and Gajeel Redfox were all clustered around the outdoor tables, talking and arguing with eachother. Natsu took a seat next to his best friend, Grey Fullbuster. Grey and Natsu fought regularly but when it came down to it, they were firm friends and stuck up for eachother when it called for it.

"You finished training?" Grey asked, taking a bite of his piece of cake. He slid one over to Natsu who took it and started digging in straight away.

"Yep," He said between bites, "Back again tomorrow, then free for the rest of the week, but I've got a fight on Sunday."

"You never stop, do you?" Loke asked, a bemused expression on his face.

"Natsu is a MAN! Fighting is manly!" Elfman exclaimed.

"Thanks, Elfman. I don't know, Loke, it's just something I like to do. It's like you and girls." Natsu said. His friends sniggered, and Loke just look amused.

"I suppose I can understand that."

"What are we even going to do after this, anyway?" Grey questioned, hands clasped lazily behind his head.

"Aren't we going to go play baseball in the park?" Gajeel asked.

"Do we have enough people?"

"There's only five of us," Natsu shrugged, "But I'm sure we can make it work."

"Alright. We all finished up here, then?" Grey asked, standing up.

"Yeah. Um, Grey, shirt?"

"Huh?" He looked down, took a second to realise his shirt had mysteriously disappeared, then, "Ah, crap! Hold on!" He ran back inside, emerging a few minutes later with his blue t-shirt back on.

"Ok. Ready." He grinned sheepishly.

The six boys stood up and pushed their chairs in, beginning to walk in a group over to the park not far from there.

* * *

**~Lucy~**

"Which one is he, Juvia?"

"Shhh! Levy, don't look yet! They might think we're being creepy!"

"Juvia," Lucy sighed, "We're waiting for a group of boys to come down the street so you can point out to us the 'dashingly handsome and charming' one you have a crush on. That _is_ creepy." Lucy was fed up. She had agreed to come along with her friends, Levy, Erza and Juvia so Juvia could show them who she'd been talking about and fawning over for the past couple weeks. Apparently, they all went to their school, Fairy Tail Academy, but even though some of the names sounded familiar, Lucy couldn't put faces to them. They'd been waiting for a while now and Lucy was just about ready to give up when Juvia suddenly squealed, "Ah! They're coming down the street now!"

They all craned their necks from their position sitting on the wall, trying to look casual.

"That's him in the middle. The one with dark hair."

"The long hair? He's kind of cute..." Levy said thoughtfully.

"Ah, no! That's Gajeel, Levy! You like him? Anyway, I'm talking about Grey Fullbuster, remember I told you? He's right there!"

"Ohhh, I see now!"

Lucy spotted who Juvia was pointing out and it clicked in her mind, "Oh! I do know him! He's in my class! Him and the one with pink hair...Um, Na...Natsu...Natsu Dragneel, that's it! They're good friends." She explained. One of them was Mirajane Strauss's little brother, too, Elfman? She couldn't remember.

"Isn't he handsome?" Juvia gushed.

"Grey? I suppose so, yeah. I think that blue-haired guy is better-looking, though." Erza said.

"That's Jellal, Erza." Levy said helpfully.

"Ah! No-one is more handsome than Grey-sama!" Juvia protested.

"Ok, ok, whatever you say, Juvia," Lucy said hastily, "But...Grey-sama?"

"Ssshhh, Lucy! They're getting closer!"

The four girls looked away again, hoping the boys hadn't noticed them staring. As they walked past, a few of them seemed to recgonise the four blonde, the redhead, and the two blue-haired girls, because they raised their hands casually in greeting.

They waved back quickly, and as soon as they turned the corner, they broke out in fits of laughter.

"That was close." Levy giggled, "I just hope they didn't notice us looking for so long!"

"Even if they did, we can just deny it." Erza said, hopping down from the wall. "Anyway, girls, should we go get something to eat now? I'm hungry after all that waiting."

"Yeah, let's." Lucy agreed, jumping down to and stretching her arms above her head. "Agh, I'm all stiff now!"

"Well, at least we got to see him." Juvia said, satisfied. "And you two saw two guys that took your liking, too!" She giggled, pointing to Levy and Erza.

They brushed off her comment, "Don't be silly...I can say he's good-looking without liking him..."

The four girls walked down the street side by side, chatting, until the reached the very same café the boys had just been in. They took refuge in the warm little shop gratefully, piling into a booth in the corner and ordering slices of cake and drinks.

It had been pretty fun, after all, Lucy thought while digging in to a slice of chocolate cake. She just hoped Juvia could get that Grey guy to like her...

* * *

**A/N: Good first chapter? Bad first chapter? Feel free to tell me! I decided to do an AU NaLu story this time, with of course hints of Gruvia, GaLe and Jerza! :3**

**I will try to update as soon as I can.**

**Reviews are very appreciated! ^-^**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Aaaaah! Hello, everyone! I'm back and I'm super-happy today! I got a ton of e-mails saying people had favourited and followed my story and me! Ahh! Thank you so much! Also, I'd like to point out a mistake of mine- I meant for Jellal to be there with the rest of the guys, so that's why he's mentioned later from Lucy's POV, but I forgot to edit it! I could've sworn I did, but when I went back to check, it was gone! I'm very sorry for any confusion caused! I'm also sorry I didn't update sooner...I had GREAT difficulty trying to decide how to write this next chapter...but anyway, here it is! I hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer by Grey: I guess Kat-chan doesn't own Fairy Tail. Agh- wait a second! Where's my shirt gone?!**

* * *

**~Natsu~**

Fairy Tail High School was where most students in Natsu's town attended.

It was located right in the middle of town, a large building painted white with the Fairy Tail crest emblazoned proudly on front. The standard uniform consisted of simple sailor uniforms for the girls, a blue skirt and orange ribbon, and blue trousers and jacket for the boys. Makarov Dreyar was principal and had been for many years, and didn't seem to be retiring anytime soon.

Natsu stirred groggily under the sheets, squeezing his eyes shut at the light streaming through the blinds on his window. He didn't want to get up. He never wanted to get up in the mornings. Footsteps sounded downstairs, becoming louder as the came up the stairs, and Wendy opened his door, peering in.

"Natsu-san...Natsu, Grandine says it's time to get up! You'll be late if you don't hurry! Breakfast is ready, come on!"

"Urgh..." He groaned, sitting up. Wendy giggled at the sight of him; he was tangled up in his sheets wearing nothing but boxer shorts, and his wair was sticking up wildly everywhere.

"You'd better get dressed."

"Ok, Wendy...give me a minute..."

She shut the door and he heard her hurry back downstairs. He finally pulled himself from the bed and stood for a minute, rubbing his eyes. Then, walking over to his wardrobe door, he pulled out his uniform where he'd stuffed it yesterday after taking it out of his bag. He got dressed and laced up his sneakers from yesterday, opening his door and trudging downstairs. He took a seat at the table in the kitchen where Wendy and Igneel were sitting, smiling as Grandine placed a plate of pancakes in front of him, and started digging in immediately. Wendy tried to eat neatly but she'd smothered her food with syrup and it ended up dripping down her chin as she ate. Natsu chuckled and reached over to hand her a napkin which she accepted gratefully, wiping her face clean of any stickiness. They both stood up to put their plates away when they we're done. Natsu went to get a drink while Wendy tied her hair up in two pigtails. Then, taking their bags from the hall floor, they called goodbye from the porch as they stepped outside, shutting the door behind them.

Wendy chatted happily to Natsu as they walked to school. He laughed or answered every few minutes but he was always a little too tired to hold a full conversation. He talked properly on the way home, though, listening to her tell him about his day. When they reached the school building, they said goodbye to eachother and parted ways, Natsu heading to the boys' shoe lockers and Wendy to the girls'. He switched his sneakers for his indoor shoes and slammed the door shut, slinging his bag over his shoulder and heading to his class.

"What's up, Natsu?" Grey asked as he took his seat, placing his bag underneath his desk.

"Nothing much," Natsu grinned, "Nothing at all, really."

"Want to hear something interesting?" Grey asked.

"What is it?"

"See her over there? The blonde?" Grey gestured to the other side of the classroom where a blonde girl was sitting at her desk, staring absently out the window. Lowering his voice, Grey spoke again, "Remember her? From yesterday?"

"Um..." Natsu tapped his chin thoughtfully, thinking back to when they we're walking back down the street, "Oh, yeah! She was sitting on the wall with those other girls, um, Erza's one of them, anyway. She's in our class?"

"Yeah, I noticed this morning. Surprised I didn't before, actually, but she's kind of quiet so I guess that's why." Grey explained, "Her name's Lucy. Lucy Heartfilia."

"I'm surprised we never noticed her before now...She's kind of pretty..."

"Wey hey," Grey nudged him in the ribs, grinning mischeviously, "You like her, lover boy?"

"Shut up." Natsu frowned, "I don't even know her."

"Don't you believe in love at first sight, Natsu?" Grey asked, clutching his hands over his heart dramatically.

"...You're an idiot."

The bell rang and all students took their seats as Alzack-sensei walked in, greeting his class and beginning their lessons.

Natsu rested his chin in his hand, sighing. He was curious about those girls from yesterday. Maybe he'd talk to Lucy later...

* * *

**~Lucy~**

Lucy sighed, watching the clock at the top of the class. It was moving unbearably slow. There was only five minutes left of class and then they had P.E, then finally, the school day was finished. At last, the bell rang and she shoved everything in her bag, catching up with Levy, Erza and Juvia in the halls outside. Juvia and Lucy we're both in classes on their own, and Levy and Erza were in the same one, but they all joined up for P.E. (A/N: Forgive me if knowledge of the Japanese education system is kind of vague, but this is just what I'd planned for the story to work...) They strolled to the girls' locker rooms where they changed into their gym clothes, white t-shirts and orange shorts, and tied their hair back. The four girls headed out to the gym where most of the other class already was, warming up by jogging laps. They joined them reluctantly, going at a lesiurely pace while talking to eachother.

"Alright, listen up!" Bisca-sensei blew the whistle around her neck once, getting all their attention. "We're going to be playing basketball, boys against girls. Boys score that way," She gestured to the far end of the gym, "Girls the other. Natsu and Erza, you'll be in the middle for the throw-in. First team to three baskets win."

"Bet we can beat you girls any day." Gajeel boasted.

"Want to bet on it?" Lucy stepped forward, hands on her hips, eyebrows raised.

"Ok, Blondie," Gajeel grinned, "200 yen says we beat you."

"Only 200? You must be scared, Redfox." Lucy taunted.

"Nah. Just don't want you to have to pay up too much of your money when I win."

"Come on, you two." Bisca snapped, "Let's start this game already!"

Natsu and Erza stepped into the middle of the circle of students marking eachother. On one team there was Lucy, Erza, Levy, Juvia and Mirajane, the other was Natsu, Grey, Gajeel, Jellal and Loke. The whistle was blown again and Bisca-sensei tossed the ball into the air. Erza leapt into action immediately, blocking Natsu from the ball and managing to hit it over the side of the gym the girls were scoring. Levy took hold of it and dribbled it halfway down the gym, Loke hot on her heels.

"Don't mind if I take this." He said pleasantly, swiping the ball from her and turning to pass it to a teamate.

"Loke, over here!" Jellal called. He caught the ball as Loke passed it and ran down to their net, tossing it in. It went into the basket, the net swishing. The boys cheered.

"One basket down, two to go." Gajeel said to Lucy, "Give it up now, blondie."

"Not a chance." Lucy scowled. Jellal took the ball and headed to the sidelines, tossing it from there to Grey and running out to rejoin the game. Grey didn't get too far, though, as Erza quickly took the ball back off him, throwing it to Mirajane. Mira was blocked by Natsu from behind, but she bounce-passed to Juvia behind her. Juvia dribbled the ball swiftly up to the the girls net and shot the ball, managing to score. The girls cheered and Lucy held out her hand for her to high-five.

"Nice shot." Grey said, impressed, and Juvia blushed scarlet. Natsu managed to get the ball this time, blocked by Levy, passed it to Gajeel, who went to shoot, but Juvia leapt upwards to block him and slammed her palms into the ball, over to Lucy. Lucy thought briefly about about trying to score but decided Levy would be faster, so she tossed it quickly over to her friend. The petite, blue-haired girl stumbled and missed, though, leaving it open for Jellal, who passed it to Grey, who scored. Erza was NOT going to lose and managed to block Natsu and get the ball off him. She sprinted up the gym and threw the ball into the net.

"Ok, the score is 2-2! next basket wins!" Bisca announced.

Lucy took on a ready stance, a determined expression on her face. She was NOT losing to Gajeel Redfox, not in a million years. Grey had the ball, but she sprinted after him, swiftly taking it from him. She ran up to the gym, but she was closed in by Loke and Natsu, Natsu being the one to take the ball off her. Levy stayed on him so when he tried to shoot, he missed and she took the ball quickly.

"Levy! Over here!" Erza called, holding out her hands. She caught hold of it but Loke took it off her, sprinting up to the boys basket.

Oh, no.

He was going to score.

"Crap!" Lucy hissed as she ran as fast as she could, trying to catch up with him. Damn it, he was going to shoot!

Mirajane suddenly appeared by his side, blocking his shot and grabbing the ball off him.

"Yes! Mira, over here!" Lucy called frantically. Mira threw the ball swiftly and Lucy caught it, starting to run.

"Lucy! Score!" The girls all yelled.

Yes, she was going to make it-

"Sorry about this." A voice came from behind her and she saw Natsu gaining on her quickly. He reached for the ball, his hand outstretched-

"Oh, _hell_ no." Lucy said fiercely. She managed to keep it out of his grasp long enough for her to shoot. The ball teetered on the edge of the net precariously, and then fell in, securing the girls' win. She turned to face the rest of her team and the boys, a wide grin on her face. Levy, Erza, Juvia and Mira were all cheering. She realised Natsu was still beside her, bent over, his hands on his knees. He straightened up to look at her.

"Well done, Lucy. You're good." He grinned and held out his hand, "Good game."

She grasped his hand and shook it, "Thanks, Natsu. How did you know my name, though?"

He smiled, "You're in my class, right?" He turned around before she could answer and called across the gym, "Hey, Gajeel. I think you owe someone some money."

* * *

**A/N: Ah! That was fun to write! Girls win, yay! I thought that would be a good first encounter-ish scene for Lucy and Natsu. Let me know what you thought of chapter 2! Reviews are very appreciated! ^-^**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hi there! Ah, thank you very much for your feedback! I had 25 e-mails this morning, the majority of them to do with this story, so I'm glad you liked it! This is my most popular story so far, but I continue to write the other ones, even if no-one reads them, because I enjoy it so much! ^-^**

**AnOddBeing: Sorry, I know most people spell Grey with an 'a' but I'm used to spelling with an 'e'...I hope it doesn't bother you too much!**

**amyskywalker: Haha, I know the NaLu is quite slow but I just don't want to rush into it too much!**

**InLoveWithFairyTail: You are like my number-one reviewer on EVERYTHING! Thank you so much! **

**And now, chapter 3...I should really stop talking...**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail! It belongs to Mashima-san!**

* * *

**~Lucy~**

Lucy held the coins in her hand, a grin spreading across her face. Sure, it was only 200 yen, but it was 200 yen from a bet with Gajeel Redfox. Who had _lost. _His face had been priceless when he had to hand it over. Maybe she was being mean, but she couldn't help it. He got what was coming to him, anyway. Don't mess with Lucy Heartfilia. She kept thinking back to when she spoke to Natsu Dragneel. He was...friendly, she decided. Not what she'd expected. She was just amazed they took so long to notice eachother. They were in the same class, after all.

Speaking of Mr. Dragneel, was that him she could hear behind her?

"Lucy! Hey, wait up!"

She turned around and sure enough, there he was, running up to her.

"Hey." He said when he caught up to her.

"Hi there."

"You walking home?"

"Yep."

A few moments passed in awkward silence as he fell into step beside her. Finally, he spoke up.

"Um, I just wanted to say that you did really good today. Back there, in P.E, that is."

"Thanks. You're pretty good yourself."

"Thanks. Do you play basketball?" He asked her.

"Huh? Oh, no, I just like sports. I don't really play anything outside of school. What about you?"

"Boxing."

"Oh, really? That sport with the gloves and stuff?"

"That's the one." He chuckled.

"That's cool." She paused for a minute, then, "Was there something you wanted to tell me?"

"...No, not particulary. I just saw you walking by yourself and decided to say hi is all. I told my little sister to go home by herself, just this once."

"You have a little sister?" Lucy asked, surprised. She thought he was an only child like her.

"Well, step-sister, but she's still my sister anyway. You might know her- Wendy Marvell?"

Lucy thought for a minute, then, "Oh yeah! She's the little one with the blue hair. I've seen her around and she calls me senpai." Lucy giggled, "She's pretty cute."

Natsu chuckled, "Yeah, everyone thinks that."

"Well, Natsu, this is my house." Lucy stopped in front of an iron-wrought gate pained white, pushing it open, "Thanks for walking with me."

"Anytime. See you around, Lucy."

"Bye, Natsu."

She waved as he continued walking on down the sidewalk. She smiled to herself as she walked up her garden and inside her house. He really was nice.

**~Natsu~**

Natsu smiled to himself as he walked up to the gym, his bag slung over his shoulder. He liked Lucy. (He forgot her surname though. He was pretty bad with names.) He was walking along in his white shirt, his jacket stuffed in his bag long ago. It was getting really hot these days. Summer was almost upon them. It was late June now and they finished in late July, so not long now. (A/N: According to wikipedia, japanese students finish in late July and go back in early September, or so I believe.) He reached the gym doors and pushed them open, going inside. He was the first one there again. He went into the locker rooms and changed into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, shoving his uniform in his bag and zipping it closed. He then opened his locker, taking his boots out and stowing his bag and his shoes safely inside. He went back outside to the main hall where a few other guys were, having just arrived and heading into the locker rooms to change. Natsu took his wraps and wrapped his hands quickly. He used to need Igneel's help but after some practice he could do it quickly enough by himself. He began to warm up, doing a few stretches, and before long the others slowly flooded in, joining him. By the time Igneel arrived they were all warming up, jogging on the spot or stretching.

"Ok, guys," He said, clapping his hands together to get their attention, "Everyone grab a skipping rope. I'm going to time you for 2 minutes."

The boys all nodded and all took a rolled up skipping rope from the box in the corner where they kept them. They were of assorted ages in the club, they youngest being about 12, the oldest, like Natsu, fifteen or sixteen. You only sparred with people closest to your age or weight. Some were weaker than others, sweaty and breathless after 2 minutes of skipping without stopping, but the older ones were fitter and more able. While they were training, Natsu noticed that Igneel was on edge, distracted. He kept frowning to himself, a few times he had to be snapped out of his thoughts, and he paired up Natsu with one little kid, Kaoru, who had only been training for a few months.

"Um, Dad," Natsu said, "I can't spar him."

"What? Why not?"

"He's younger. And lightweight."

"Oh, crap, sorry Natsu." He ran a hand through his hair, frowning. He looked wrecked, exhausted, frustrated- A lot of emotions, anyway.

When training was over, Natsu sent a text to Grey saying he couldn't meet up with the guys afterwards. He was going to find out what was wrong with Igneel.

He received a reply just as he was heading out the door:

Grey: Ok. C u tomorrow.

He put his phone in his pocket and climbed into the passenger seat of the car beside Igneel. They drove in silence for a few minutes until Natsu finally spoke up,

"Dad...what's wrong with you today?"

"Huh?"

"What's wrong?" Natsu repeated, slowly and carefully, "You've been completely out of it all day. You look wrecked. What's up with you?"

"I...It's nothing, Natsu. Really."

Natsu snorted, folding his arms. "Don't lie to me, Igneel," He said, eyebrows raised, "Don't you think your own son can tell when something's wrong with you?"

Igneel pulled up to their house, parking the car outside. He sighed and leaned against the steering wheel for a moment. Then, shoving his hand in his pocket, he pulled out a folded piece of paper and turned to look at Natsu.

"This came today."

Natsu took it. His hands shook as he opened up the sheet of paper- if it was enough to shake up Igneel, what the hell was on it that could be so bad?

He read it, and his heart dropped.

Actually, he read it several times before it fully sunk in, then he looked up at his father slowly.

"...You can't be serious."

* * *

**A/N: Cliffhanger! Gasp! (I'm mean, aren't I?) Haha, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! And if you're wondering what the boots look like, here's a picture:**

** .ie/boots-! ?gclid=CJuxm6CY8LgCFYZF2wodiBYA8g**

**(The ones I have in mind for Natsu are the ones in the middle with the white stripes, the black ones!)**

**Until next time! Reviews are appreciated! ^-^**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Ahh...Hello! You guys are truly the best, because guess who had about 40 more e-mails from since yesterday?! Me! I'm so, so happy you guys are enjoying this! I know I usually update a bit faster but I slept over at a friend's house and we didn't go asleep until very late, and I was very sleepy...**

** I was reading back on the chapters of this earlier and a thought occured to me- I don't rush through this too quickly, do I? I try to put as much detail into it as possible, but please, feel free to let me know if I should slow down! Ok...I should stop talking...**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail...**

* * *

Natsu was angry.

Natsu was really, really angry.

Well, it was more a tidal wave of emotions, but mostly anger. There was also sadness, fury, hopelessness- and he didn't know what to do about any of them.

He stormed out of the house angrily, slamming the door behind him. He regretted yelling at his parents like that, but holy crap, he was pissed off right now. He stalked down the street, fists clenched. Where he was going, he didn't know. Just somewhere.

Anywhere.

Away from there.

He kept walking down the street he lived on, past the houses of his neighbours, other streets, around corners, finally reaching a local park not too far from his own home. He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked down at the ground, walking around the park moodily for a while until he came upon a small playground he used to take Wendy to when they were both younger. Sighing, he sat down heavily on a swing, gripping the cold chain holding it up tightly and pushing his feet off the ground so he moved backwards and forwards slowly. His throat felt raw but he wasn't going to cry- he hadn't in a long time and now wasn't the time to start. He kept pushing, the swing creaking in the still air. It was almost dark out. Suddenly, he heard something. A snapping noise, like someone stepping on a stick, and footsteps. He raised his head and looked around wildly, but saw no-one.

Then he heard it again.

"Who's ther-?" Natsu began to call out, but he was cut off when a fist slammed into the side of his head.

"Holy shit!" He yelled, losing his balance and toppling backwards off the swing.

"Oh my God! Natsu?! I am so sorry!"

Someone's hand closed around his arm, helping him up, and he looked to see who this mystery attacker was. They apparently knew him, anyway.

Lucy.

"Lucy?" Natsu asked incredulously, raising his eyebrows, "What are you doing here? And why the hell did you just hit me?!"

"I'm sorry..." She said sheepishly, "I didn't realise it was you. I thought it was a stranger, y'know, some creep."

"Oh. I thought you were some weirdo creeping up on me."

"Hey! I'm not a weirdo!" Lucy protested indignantly.

"I know, but I thought you were."

"Hmph. Fine then."

Not really knowing what to do, Natsu just sat back down on the swing.

"Hey...Is something wrong?"

Lucy sat on the swing next to him and began to push herself backwards and forwards. She was staring at him expectantly with her brown eyes, waiting for an answer.

"You don't want to know..."

"Yeah, I do! I may as well try and help now that I've assaulted you."

He chuckled, despite how he was feeling. "Well, Ms. Lucy, I'll tell you if you tell me why you've decided to take a late-night moody stroll in the local playground."

She giggled quietly. "Ok. I...I had a fight. With my Dad. That's all."

Natsu looked at her. She had said, 'That's all', but she looked very downcast. He decided not to inquire any further. After all, her home life wasn't really any of his buisness.

He hesitated as he reached into his pocket, ready to show a piece of his life, spill his problems with a virtual stranger.

Well, not really a stranger, technically speaking. Just not a very well-known girl who happened to be in his class this whole time.

He should tell her. Who else could he speak to right now?

"Here," He said, unfolding the piece of paper and handing it to her, "This is why I'm upset. My dad got this letter this morning. " He spoke flatly, thinking back to the words on the paper. He practically knew them all by now, he had read it so many times in horror and disbelief.

**~Lucy~**

Lucy took the sheet of paper from Natsu and began to read.

Dear Mr. Dragneel,

We would like to inform you that the building you currently have in use as a boxing club will be demolished. We are expanding our buisness and it will become an office block. Please note is in the interest of your fellow citizens- plenty more jobs will be available in town now because of this. Due to legal reasons we can not supply you with a new building, you will therefore be made redundant. The date the building is scheduled to be demolished is July 22nd. Please clear out your belongings by the 15th.

Thank you for your time,

Yours sincerely,

Roger Micheals,

Employee of Heartfilia Industries.

It took Lucy a minute to realise her mouth had dropped open and she was gripping the paper so tightly she had crumpled the edges of it.

"N-Natsu...I-"

"It's fine." He cut off, "You don't need to tell me your sorry or whatever. It's happening and there's nothing I can do about it."

"But Natsu, it's not fair! It's wrong! The boxing club is yours and your Dads!"

He turned to her, smiling wryly. "I know it's wrong and unfair," He explained, "But I can't stop it. My Dad doesn't even own the building, it's rented."

"There has to be _something_ you can do."

"Look, there really isn't."

"God damn it, Dragneel!" Lucy burst out, standing up.

He looked startled at her sudden outburst, even more so as she grabbed the front of his shirt.

"Listen," Lucy began, dangerously close to his face, "You can't just sit around saying how unfair it is and not do anything about it. Yes, it's unfair, but no, you're not going to let the date pass and not even try."

"Who says I'm not?" Natsu said stubbornly, "What is there I can actually do? Because I'd love to try something, Blondie."

She wrinkled her nose when he called her 'Blondie.'

"Let's get one thing straight," Lucy said, jabbing her finger into his chest, "_Don't_ call me Blondie, ok? Unless you want to be called Pinky for the rest of your life."

"Who says I'll know you for the rest of my life?"

"Fine then, Mr. Know-It-All. The rest of your school life."

She let go of his shirt, standing up straight and placing her hands on her hips.

"One more thing," She said, "I know how you can fix this."

"Oh yeah?" How do I do that?"

She pointed to herself and grinned.

"I'm going to help you. Whatever it takes, Natsu. Whatever it takes."

* * *

**A/N: Hahaha...It was fun making Lucy all angry like that. I'm sorry that was so short! I just wanted to update as soon as I could! Also, um, I feel kind of bad and a bit weird asking this, but I have this other story, The Light Mage's Past, and it's the first story I wrote on here. It contains OC's but it's not very popular, but it has sentimental value. (Kind of...hahaha...) Anyway, if you could just take a quick look, I'd love that! If you don't like it of course that's fine, but if you do, that's great!**

**Remember, reviews are love! ^-^**

**Until next time!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I'm updating faster this time. :3 I don't have a lot to say...I hope you liked the last chapter! This story now has 36 follows and 18 favourites, which I'm pretty proud of! Thank you so much! ^-^**

**Ok...onto the next chapter, haha! Also, let me know if you took a look at anything else I wrote. (Of course, I don't mind if you don't! I'm just curious. :) You can PM me anytime! Also, I need ideas on how one could try stop the demolition of something? I've only come up with one so far which I will put to use in this chapter, and one that can't be used until later, but I've run short...Suggestions will be greatly appreciated!**

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Fairy Tail...Ah, though wouldn't it be great to own it?!**

* * *

Natsu stirred under the sheets and groaned, reaching over to the table beside his bed. His phone had beeped, signalling he had a text message, but it was WAY too early for a Saturday. He grabbed in and held it up to his face, squinting blearily at the light coming from the screen in his dark room. He checked the time- 9.30am. Sighing, he rolled over and opened up the message.

It was from Lucy, who had put her number in his phone last night and then took his.

Lucy: Meet me the supermarket at 10.00am. C u later.

"Urgh...!" He groaned, tossing his phone across his bed. He knew she would most likely put something into action today, but not so _early. _He had grumbled as she took his phone and when she'd informed him they'd meet up the next day, but he was grateful that she was going to help him, because he wouldn't know what to do at all. But he had no idea why that girl was so damn determined to help him out.

He got out of bed, scratching his head and yawning. Clothes, clothes, clothes- too tired to think. He might end up going out in something completely bizarre like...a pink jacket, an orange tie and his blue boxer shorts...or something...but anyway, he didn't care. It's not like it was a date or something.

Natsu eventually pulled on a pair of jeans and a yellow t-shirt with a blue collar, lacing up blue sneakers. He was satisfied he managed to even match his clothes because being up this early, he felt completely disoriented. He trudged down the stairs and walked into the kitchen to grab a granola bar or something. Grandine was already in there, sitting at the table and sipping a cup of tea. She looked up, surprised as he walked into the kitchen and started looking in the cupboards.`

"Natsu?" She asked incredulously, "You...You're up? On a Saturday? Early?! Has something gone wrong in the Natsu-cave? Have you come out of hibernation?"

"Oh, haha." He rolled his eyes at her mock surprise, taking a bar from the cupboard and tearing the wrapper off, "I'm meeting someone."

"Oh," Grandine giggled daintily, "Don't tell me it's...a GIRL?!"

"Mom, honestly! It's a friend of mine, ok?"

"Well it must be someone special if they managed to get you out of all people up this early on a Saturday morning."

"Mom..."

"Yes, Natsu?"

"It's a _friend_, ok?"

"Whatever you say, dear. Have fun." She went back to drinking her tea.

"Bye." He raised his hand casually as he took his hoodie from where he left it at the end of the stairs and stepped out the door, pulling it on, and began to walk. The local supermarket was a small, family-owned buisness that Grandine always sent either him or Wendy to get groceries for dinner. Not very far from his house. He guessed Lucy lived nearer than he thought, judging from where her house was that time and how they ended up in the same park the other night. He shoved his hands in his pockets as he walked, a habit, and looked up at the sky- the clouds looked grey and heavy, like it was going to rain. Hopefully not soon. He walked down the street and around several corners. It was mostly people driving to work and opening up shops for the day, putting tables and chairs outside cafés, walking their dogs early. Natsu reached the supermarket and saw Lucy standing outside, clutching two cups and a white paper bag under her arm. She looked different out of her school uniform. Kind of...cute, he had to admit. She grinned as he approached her, a tired smile on his face.

"Morning." She said, handing him one of the paper cups. "Thanks." Natsu said, sipping the warm liquid gratefully.

"Hot chocolate," Lucy said, reaching into the paper bag, "I didn't know if you liked coffee so I decided it was a safer bet, even thought it's summer. And here," She said, handing him a muffin and taking one out for herself.

"So," Natsu began, taking a bite out of his food, "What's the plan for today?"

"This," Lucy said, reaching into her bag and taking out several sheets of lined, blank paper pinned to a clipboard.

"Um...what is that?"

"A petition! Look-" She held out the clipboard so she could see the bold heading on top-

**Help Save The Boxing Club! Sign this petition.**

"And...that'll work?" Natsu asked.

"Well, it's definitely worth a shot." Lucy said, handing him the clipboard and taking out a pen from her bag, too, "If we collect enough signatures the council will have to at least consider it."

"Ok," Natsu smiled, "Let's try it. All we have to do is ask people to sign it?"

"Yep. That's why I chose this spot, because so many people come in and out of this supermarket."

"Clever...ok. Let's start then." They threw out the empty cups and wrappers and went over to the doors, standing on either side of it.

It was about 10.00am now, so people should have been starting to come in and out of the little shop. But it was a while before someone walked past, a little old lady coming out clutching a bag of groceries. Lucy saw her chance and pounced. (Not literally. She might've scared the old lady.)

"Excuse me," Lucy said, smiling brightly, "Would you like to sign this petition? It's for a good cause, to save the local boxing club from demolition."

"Oh," The old lady looked up at Lucy, "Well, of course, dear. My grandson is part of that club, you know. He'd be devestated if it was demolished. Here." She took the pen from Lucy and signed her name in neat letters at the top of the page.

"Thank you very much." Lucy said, grinning at Natsu.

"Anytime, dears." The lady smiled and hobbled away, lugging her bag of groceries with her.

"That was easy," Natsu grinned, "So we just have to get a few more of those?"

"A lot more," Lucy corrected, "But we can do it, I know we can."

Unfortunately, it went downhill from there.

**~Lucy~**

Lucy tried her best to approach everyone coming in or out, but not a lot of people were interested. Some politely declined, others were pretty rude, even vicious. Natsu had approached a large, burly man with a bulky german shepherd dog with a studded collar, but he had glared at him fiercely and the dog had started barking and snapping. Natsu got away quickly, deciding it would be best not to push him. He liked his face the way it was and wasn't in the mood for it to be rearranged.

Another few signatures they _did_ manage to get were a group of four teenagers, an old man and his wife, the owner of the shop and a little kid who'd insisted his mom let him sign it instead of her in shaky, giant letters. It had been several hours and most people wanted nothing to do with them. They'd been standing around and they we're stiff, frustrated and bored. To make matters worse, it started to rain on their way home when they had finally given up, after a valiant effort. It was a few droplets at first, progressing quickly to a torrential downpour. Lucy wasn't wearing a jacket of any kind so she just clutched the clipboard to her chest and ran, Natsu close behind her. They shrieked the heavier it got, soaking their clothes and hair. They looked for shelter in the first place they could think of, the local playground, and dived under the slide. It was very cramped under there but it was coming down so hard by now that they couldn't really get up and look for somewhere more comfortable. Lucy shivered. Her clothes were soaked and her hair was in rat's tails, and her arms were bare. It was warm this morning and she hadn't bothered with a jacket of any kind.

"Here," She heard Natsu say, and turned to see he was holding out his hoodie to her. "Thank you," She said gratefully, taking it and wrapping it around herself. It was slightly damp and way too big for her, but she was glad to be able to get warm again.

"Hey, Natsu?" Lucy asked, breaking the silence.

"Yeah?"

"When did you join the boxing club?"

He smiled fondly, remembering, "Ah, I was just a little kid, only about 9. They take you on pretty young but we don't get a lot of little kids anymore. My dad has always coached it and he always wanted me to join, and I really, really loved it. I eventually decided I was going to become a professional boxer."

Lucy smiled, "That's really cool."

"How come you're so eager to help me, anyway?" Natsu asked, staring at her with onyx eyes. "Not that I'm not grateful," He added quickly, "I'm just curious."

Lucy shrugged, "I don't know, really. I just...I felt really bad, y'know? I know we barely know eachother, but the club is obviously important to you. I couldn't just stand by and watch knowing it was going to be torn down."

"It's...It's really cool, Lucy. Thank you. A lot."

"You're welcome, Natsu. Hey...looks like the rain's stopped."

They crawled out from underneath the slide and straightened up, stretching.

"I'll walk you home." Natsu said.

"Ok."

They walked side by side, talking on the way to her house.

"I have another idea, I think." Lucy grinned. "When's the next time you're free?"

"I have a fight tomorrow," said Natsu, but I'll probably be free on Monday."

"Ok," Lucy smiled, "Well, I'll put it into action then. Maybe I'll come see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah. That would be cool." Natsu grinned. "It's not really a huge deal so it'll be in the club. I have more important fights later in July."

"I'll still come see." Said Lucy, "I've never seen a real fight before, and I bet you're really good."

"I wouldn't say that." Natsu chuckled. "Here, this is your house, isn't it?"

"Yep. See you tomorrow, Natsu."

"Yeah. Bye."

Lucy watched him walk down the street, smiling to herself.

Guess she was seeing Natsu again tomorrow.

* * *

**A/N: Awwww! Was that cute? It was fun to write, hehehe. This is the beginning of NaLu! Ok, well, reviews are love!**

**Until next time! ^-^**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Ah...things have been kind of slow since the last chapter... (Not that I'm complaining, you guys are great!) Ahaha, well, the subtle yet obvious NaLu-ness is beginning, and I'm having great fun writing it! I'm glad you all seem to like it, anyway! ^-^ **

**Ok! Next chapter! I've only seen one live fight (my brother) before but I've seen a lot on TV so hopefully this'll be accurate, for any of you readers that are boxing fans! **

**Disclaimer by Erza: Kat-chan does not own Fairy Tail. I would hope she hasn't been saying that, after all that would be lying...**

* * *

**~Natsu~**

Like he had told Lucy, Natsu had started boxing at a reasonably young age, about nine years old. His parents had just split up and he was angry at them both. He took it out on himself, doing stupid things like punching walls, and always ended up hurting himself. (A/N: Natsu is so badass though, ne?!) Igneel had decided it was the perfect time to finally have Natsu join the club- He was a little young, but he was strong, and it would help him control himself a little more when it came to his parents divorcing. He remembered being very reluctant at first but he discovered how much he loved it, and he never looked back. He loved wrapping his hands, he loved when he got his first pair of real boots and how light and agile they made him feel, he loved sparring, he loved fighting- He loved everything about it. The club was so important to both him and Igneel and now that he had Lucy helping him, he was determined to do anything it took to save it.

Natsu wrapped his hands tightly, shuffling nervously from foot to foot. He always got this way before a fight- jittery and on edge. Once he was in the ring, though, all he thought about was winning. The red uniform (A/N: I'm sure you all know what the uniform looks like...) felt familiar and comfortable, and he felt good wearing it. It was one of the older ones he was used to. Even though a box of new ones had recently been shipped in, Natsu had stuck to the old one- It made him feel a little more at ease. He looked around the room curiously. People were starting to fill the room steadily, the other members of his club, the competing club and their members, family or friends who had come to support and of course, the occasional person who just came to watch. There was never as many people at the less important fights but it didn't matter to Natsu whether there was a crowd or not. All he wanted to do was win, and make Igneel proud of him.

"Hey, Natsu."

Natsu looked up to see Kaoru Aizawa, one of the younger boys, the one that Igneel had almost had him spar with the other day.

"Hmm? What is it, Kaoru? You looking forward to your first fight?"

The younger boy grinned and nodded, holding up his fists, "Yep. Nervous, but I can't wait."

"Good luck, kid." Natsu ruffled his hair jokingly.

"Thanks. But I actually came to talk to you about something..."

"Yeah?"

"Well...My grandma told me the other day that when she went to the supermarket yesterday, there were people outside with a petition to save the boxing club. The description sounded a lot like you."

Natsu briefly thought back to yesterday, remembering the old lady who had mentioned her grandson being in the club and signed their petition. He supposed she had been talking about Kaoru, then.

"Um...Kaoru, you see..." Natsu began nervously.

"Don't worry," Kaoru interrupted, "I won't tell anyone else, at least until Igneel gets a chance to. But...it's true, isn't it?" He frowned.

"...Yeah. But don't worry," Natsu tried to smile, "My friend and I are working on it. We'll fix everything."

Kaoru smiled, "Ok, Natsu. Thanks."

"Anytime." The younger boy ran off and Natsu sat back down heavily, sighing. Now, he supposed, there was more pressure on him to save the club. He didn't want to disappoint any of the other members, especially ones like Kaoru who were practically little kids. But he was adamant that he _would_, no matter what. He'd do anything, any crazy plan Lucy came up with.

Speaking of that certain blonde, he suddenly spotted her over at the door, looking around, most likely for him. He stood up and started to walk over to her, waving as he did so.

"Hey." He greeted her with a smile.

Lucy grinned when she saw him, "Hi, Natsu. I have to say, you look pretty cool in your uniform."

Natsu chuckled, "Thanks, Lucy."

"So when are you up?"

"Uh, I think it's pretty soon. About three fights before me, though."

"Ok. I'll be cheering for you." Lucy winked playfully.

Natsu laughed again, "I hope so. I'll see you later, 'kay? I ave to go warm up."

"Alright," She smiled, "See ya. Good luck!"

"Thanks!" He called, waving as he walked off. He joined the other guys, beginning to warm up. He was going to win, now that Lucy would be here to watch.

**~Lucy~**

Lucy was pretty excited to see Natsu fight, as she'd never seen a real boxing match before. It took a little while for him to actually start, though- She had gotten`a listing off someone and like Natsu had said, there we're three fights before him. It was cool to watch, though, and Natsu's club was really good. His Dad must be a great coach. Out of three fights, 2 members of Natsu's club won, including a young boy who's name was listed as Kaoru Aizawa. He looked really happy with himself as he had stepped out of the ring, the older boys cheering and clapping him on the back proudly, ruffling his hair. Lucy guessed that judging by how young he looked, only about 11 or 12, that it was probably only his first or second fight at least. Finally, Natsu's name was called and he stepped into the ring, now sporting the helmet and gloves as well as the uniform she'd seen him in earlier. She glanced at the other boy, tall and strong-looking, with black, spiky hair and a pointed chin, grinning confidently. She watched as he shoved his helmet on and put a gum shield in his mouth. The fight began, and the two of them began throwing punches at eachother. Lucy marvelled at how different Natsu seemed during the fight- completely in the zone, agile and quick and strong. The two of them kept on their toes, ducking and weaving, landing hits on eachother. The first round ended and she watched as Natsu took a moment to get a drink and as Igneel said something to him, encouragment of some kind. Then they were off again, moving lightly and quickly around the ring. She gasped as Natsu took a hit to the underside of his jaw, stumbling backwards, relaxing when he regained his balance and hit back almost instantly. He was good. Really, really good. After the first two rounds she had lost count of how many hits Natsu and his opponent had landed on eachother. She watched as they fought furiously, cheering Natsu on whenever she could. The referee blew the whistle, signalling the end of the last round, and the two of them stepped back, panting and shining with sweat. The referee took hold of both of their wrists and took a minute to announce the winner's name. Lucy bit her lip nervously, waiting-

"The winner is Natsu Dragneel!"

Natsu pumped his fist in the air and grinned widely as Igneel and the other guys in the club cheered loudly. He turned to his opponent and shook his hand, nodding and saying what Lucy assumed was 'Well done' or at least, something along those lines. She went to greet him once he'd stepped out of the ring, but her path was blocked by someone.

"Hey there." A male voice said, and she looked up to see black spiky hair and a confident grin- Natsu's opponent. He was a good few inches taller than her and now that he was up close, she could see his eyes were dark green.

"Um...Hi..." She trailed off uncomfortably. This guy was a stranger.

"I'm Isamu Tanaka." He said, "I saw you cheering there when I was fighting. What's your name?"

"Lucy," She said, "And yep, I was cheering. Natsu Dragneel, your opponent, is a friend of mine."

"I see." He smiled, leaning down, suddenly uncomfortably close. Was he...flirting?

"I, um, I-I have to go..." Lucy said, rushing over to Natsu.

"See you around." She heard him call.

"Who was that guy talking to you?" Natsu asked once she'd reached him, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, just the guy who was fighting you. No-one important." She brushed him off, changing the subject. "Well done, Natsu!" She smiled brightly, "You were great!"

"Thanks," Natsu grinned, "What did you think about watching your first boxing match, then?"

"It was really cool!" Lucy exclaimed.

"That's good." He chuckled.

"I'm glad I came. I had fun."

"I'm glad you came, too, and that you enjoyed it." Natsu smiled again, "I've got to go, Lucy. It was good to see you. I'll see you at school tomorrow, alright? You can tell me that idea of yours." He grinned.

Lucy smiled, "Yep. See you then."

He walked off to join the other guys.

She felt really happy she had come today.

* * *

**A/N: Too rushed, or not? I hope I didn't, I'm just writing this quite late, ahaha...Well, I hoped you liked it! I plan to have Isamu make a reappearance and cause some drama...mwahahaha! (I don't know why there was an evil laugh there...) Anyway, reviews are love! I will take any constructive criticism on board! NaLu's too slow, chapters too short, too rushed...I'll be happy to listen! **

**Until next time!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Ah! Hi again! I was reading back on the last chapter today, and I'm sorry that it's so short! It seemed a little rushed to me but that's just my paranoia as a writer, hahaha! Anyway, I'd like to take a moment to thank some people:**

**Nnatsuki, InLoveWithFairyTail and GoldenRoseTanya: Thank you very much for your frequent reviews!**

**I'm sorry if I missed anyone else who reviews freqyently but I do try my best to answer all of you- even if I don't, you should know how much I appreciate all the favourites and follows! We're up to 44 follows and 23 favourites, and I've also almost hit 50 reviews! Only one more to go! ^-^**

**I should stop rambling, hahaha...Anyway, here's the next chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, though I guess I own Isamu now, ahaha...**

* * *

**~Lucy~**

"Um...Dad?"

No answer.

"Dad...?"

Still none.

"Dad!"

"Hmm?" Jude Heartfilia looked up from his work, his eyebrows knitted together and his mouth turned down. "What? What is it, Lucy? Can't you see I'm busy?"

Lucy's father, Jude Heartfilia, was the head of a construction company and always seemed to be busy with something, paperwork or hiring a new employee, anything to keep him busy and away from home.

"Yes, Dad, I can see that," Lucy said through gritted teeth, rolling her eyes. He was so infuriating.

"I just...I just came to ask how work was going?"

"Why would you want to know that?" Jude asked. He looked faintly annoyed. Lucy had never taken any interest in his work before now.

"I just am. Is that ok?" Lucy sighed.

"I suppose so..."

"So?"

"So what?"

"Dad, how is work going?"

"Oh," Jude said briskly, "Yes, yes. It's fine."

"...Anything interesting? Y'know building something?"

"Ah..." Jude stroked his chin for a moment, thinking, "We're tearing down a building in town to build a new office block."

"Oh, really?" Lucy asked casually, feigning surprise, "Which one?"

"Just one being rented currently as a boxing club." Jude wrinkled his nose, "Ridiculous, if you ask me. Just a bunch of useless teenage boys and their ignorant coach. Igneel Dragneel, I think is name is. Such an unkempt, undignified man. I met with him the other day, and he argued with me like there was no tomorrow, asking if he could come up with some kind of money to buy the building."

Lucy clenched her fists at her father's condescending words. She knew that Natsu and Igneel weren't like that. Her ears pricked up when buying the building was mentioned. Maybe...

"How much would it cost him...?" She asked.

"Oh, maybe around 35,000 yen."

Lucy's heart dropped. How could she and Natsu come up with that kind of money?

"Um, listen, Dad, I should really be getting to school..." Lucy said, beginning to walk towards the door.

Jude waved her away distractedly, but he was already back to finishing his paperwork.

Lucy sighed. She supposed she better go talk to Natsu, then.

**~Natsu~**

"Hey, Natsu." Grey grinned mischeviously as his friend entered the classroom and took a seat at his desk.

Natsu raised his eyebrows. "Hey...Um, Grey, what's with the creepy grin on your face?"

"Oh, nothing," Grey said, nudging Natsu rougly with his elbow, "I just heard that _someone_ was hanging around with Lucy Heartfilia at the weekend. So, tell me, Romeo, do you still not like her?"

"What the hell, Grey?!" Natsu felt his face growing hot, "Who told you that?"

"Just someone." Grey shrugged, "You don't need to know."

"Uh, yes, I do, so I can beat the shit out of someone! Is someone spreading rumours? How many people know?"

"Hold that thought," Grey said quickly. He stepped up onto his chair and faced the rest of the class.

"Attention, everyone," He announced, "Natsu Dragneel is in love with Luc-Mmmmfff!"

Unfortunately for the people listening, Grey didn't get to finish his little announcement as Natsu clasped his hand over his mouth and yanked him roughly off his chair onto the floor.

"Shut. Up." He growled in Grey's ear. He let go as soon as he was sure his idiotic friend wouldn't try anything like that again.

"Listen up, Grey," Natsu scowled, jabbing his finger into the other boy's chest, "I am not in love with Lucy, ok? We're just friends. She's helping me with something."

"Helping you with what?" Grey smirked.

"That's for me to know, and you to find out." Natsu frowned, then added, "And please, put on a shirt."

"Holy crap!" Grey looked down, "How the hell did that happen?"

He ran off to find his shirt and Natsu sat back in his seat, sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose. That was way too close. It was a good thing he managed to stop Grey from opening his big, idiotic mouth.

"Morning."

He looked up to see Lucy herself standing beside his desk, smiling, as usual.

"Hey," He said, "How's it going?"

"Good." Lucy said, "I have something to tell you later, and we still have to carry out that other idea I had. Do you think you could come over to my house after school?"

"Um, yeah, sure." Natsu said, grinning at her. Inside, however, his heart was pounding. Go to...Lucy's...House?

Ack, why was he so nervous about it anyway?!

"Ok." Lucy said, "Meet me outside the front gates later."

"Sure."

She went over to her desk on the far side of the room just as Alzack-sensei walked in, greeting his class. Grey leaned over and whispered to Natsu, "Flirting again, are we, Lover Boy?"

"Grey," Natsu growled menacingly. "I don't care if we _are_ friends. If you don't shut up I will beat you senseless. That's a promise."

"Ok, ok," Grey leaned back in his chair, raising his hands defensively, "Gee, you try to help out a hopeless friend with his love life and you get death threats..."

**~Lucy~**

Lucy stood at the school gates as students passed her on their way home, looking out for Natsu. She spotted a certain salmon-pink head running towards her and waved him over.

"Hey," He said breathlessly, "Sorry I'm late."

"It's fine, really," Said Lucy, "I just got out a few minutes ago. Should we start walking, then?"

"Yeah." Natsu straightened up and they started walking towards Lucy's house.

"What did you want to tell me, anyway?" Natsu asked, his school bag slung over his shoulder casually.

"Oh, right," Lucy remembered her conversation with her father this morning. "It's about the boxing club. I thought of another way to save it, but it's kind of risky, is all..."

"No, tell me." Natsu said urgently, staring at her with onyx eyes, "It doesn't matter how risky it is. We have to try everything."

"Well," Lucy began, "I was talking to- I mean, I found out from someone that it's possible for your Dad to be able to buy back the building. I thought maybe we could find a way to earn some money, but it's pretty pricey..."

"How much is it?"

"It's...35,000 yen."

If Natsu had been drinking anything at that moment, he would've choked and spluttered. But he wasn't, so instead his mouth just fell open and he stared at Lucy incredulously.

"You- you're kidding."

"No," Lucy shook her head sadly, "That's how much it would cost. I suppose you're not willing to try, then..." She trailed off, looking down at the ground.

Natsu thought for a moment. 35,000 yen was a lot of money. He'd never had that kind of money in his 16 years.

But it wasn't impossible.

Should they do it...?

"N-no," Natsu said suddenly, "No. I think we should at least try. I said I'd do anything, and I don't go back on my word."

"Ah!" Lucy smiled brightly, "So we'll do it?"

"Yeah. We're going to need more help, though..."

"We'll think of something," Lucy assured, "Ask our friends to help us out."

They had reached the house and Lucy pushed open the front gate, Natsu following her up the front path.

"Yeah," Natsu grinned confidently, "We can do it. I hope..." He trailed off as he looked up at her house, noticing it's grand stature and size for the first time.

"W-wow...Lucy, your house...It's huge..." He closed his mouth quickly when he realised it was gaping open.

"Um, yeah..." Lucy said uncomfortably, opening the front door. She took off her shoes and left her school bag on the hall floor. Natsu did the same, following her into the gleaming kitchen in his socks. The kitchen was large and airy, with a white, spotless tiled floor. There was a large table made of oak in the middle of the room, surrounded by several wooden chairs, and a black, marbled counter top. Cupboards lined the walls and a large window was situated over the silver sink, light streaming in through it. It was open because of the recent hot weather and a cool breeze wafted through the kitchen.

"Your parents not home?" Natsu asked, taking a seat at one of the chairs.

"No," Lucy shook her head. "My dad has a meeting today."

"What about your mom?"

Lucy looked at him sadly, her brown eyes soft, "Ah...she died a long time ago."

"Oh-" Natsu said quickly, "Lucy, I'm sorry, I didn't mean-!"

"No, it's ok, really," Lucy cut him off, "I don't mind that you know."

"What are we doing, anyway?" Natsu asked quickly, changing the subject.

"We," Lucy announced, the sad look on her face quickly replaced by a grin, "Are going to be making cupcakes."

"Uh...cupcakes?"

"Yep," Lucy said happily, "We're going to try the petition again, only this time, we're going to bribe people."

Natsu laughed, "I see. So, we make cupcakes and offer them to people if they sign it?"

"You catch on fast, Mr. Dragneel." Lucy winked.

"One problem, though," Natsu frowned, "I suck at baking."

"Don't worry," Lucy soothed, "I'll lead you through it." She started to look in the various cupboards around the kitchen, taking out flour, sugar, eggs, butter, milk, and various other ingredients. Then she took out an electric mixer, a sieve, a two large bowls, a spatula and a wooden spoon.

"Ok," Lucy said, putting an apron on and placing her hands on her hips, "Let's start!"

She began to sieve dry ingredients, sugar and flower, into one of the bowls. Taking a spoon and making a well in the middle, she handed eggs to Natsu and told him to break them into the bowl while she measured out milk. Lucy took the carton and poured it into a jug, measuring out 600mls. She turned to Natsu, who had managed to safely crack the four eggs into the bowl. Lucy then poured the milk in and mixed it up, turning the previously powder-like ingredients creamy.

"Ok, Natsu," Lucy said, handing him the bowl, "Mix this for a while and add in vanilla and chocolate chips for the actual cakes. We'll make the butter cream afterwards."

"Alright." Natsu nodded and took the bowl from her, and placed it on the mixer. No sooner had Lucy turned around, though, Natsu screwed up.

"Holy shit!"

Lucy turned around and saw the mixture begin to fly everywhere. She reached for the switch and turned the speed down quickly. Natsu had managed to get the stuff all over his face and hair. It dripped from his nose and forehead as he grinned sheepishly at Lucy.

"...Oops."

Lucy sighed and wet a cloth under the tap, wiping his face like a child. He wrinkled his nose and Lucy giggled at how cute it looked.

Wait...Did she just...?

Her inner-self just called Natsu cute.

Natsu. Cute.

Oh, wow.

She turned away quickly when she was done, shielding her red face. "J-just don't mess up again, okay?" She said quickly, laughing a high-pitched laugh. When she'd calmed down after a few moments, she turned back around and turned the mixer off, handing the spatula to Natsu to scrape down the sides. Lucy picked up a packet of bun cases and started putting them in tins.

"Start spooning them in like this," Lucy took two small spoons and demonstrated, spooning some of the mixture into one of the cases. She handed the spoons to Natsu, who nodded and started doing what she had told him, trying his best to do it like Lucy had. He messed up a few but he managed to do most of them correctly and make all of them equal. While he was doing that, Lucy had started putting butter and icing sugar into another bowl, mixing it for a while and then adding flavouring and food colouring. When she'd finished, Natsu had also completed spooning the mixture into bun cases, making about 48 in total, filling four trays of twelve. A few were sloppier than others, but Lucy was impressed at how well he'd done.

"Good job, Natsu." She nodded, smiling. "Let's get these in the oven." They each took two tins and placed them in the previously pre-heated oven, setting a timer for 20 minutes.

"I'll make some food." Lucy said, gesturing to the table to say Natsu should sit down. She boiled some water to make ramen and mixed in curry flavouring through the noodles, adding bits of meat.

"It's only instant noodles," Lucy confessed as she handed Natsu a bowl filled to the brim, "But I usually add my own stuff into it like meat and soy sauce.

"It's really good!" Natsu exclaimed with his mouth full, "You can cook and bake, huh, Lucy?"

"Ahaha, I'm not that good," Lucy brushed off the compliment, "I know how to make a few things, that's all." The two of them finished their ramen and just as Lucy was taking the empty bowls to put in the dishwasher, the timer sounded.

"Ah, they're ready!"

She wrapped a tea towel around her hands for a moment to take the trays out of the oven, placing them on the counter top. The two of them surveyed their work, satisfied. They had come out an even, golden brown colour. Lucy filled two icing bags full of buttercream and handed one to Natsu.

"Um, Lucy...How do you do this?"

"Here, watch," Lucy said patiently, taking one of the cupcakes. She piped carefully around the edges into the middle, finishing it off perfectly.

"Alright..." Natsu took one to try it, his tongue sticking out in concentration. His first few we're messy, Lucy having to fix them up, but he slowly progressed, becoming better after each cupcake was iced. They both ended up doing about half of them each, topping them off with colourful rainbow sprinkes when they were finished.

"They look good." Natsu said, satisfied.

"You did pretty well for your first try." Lucy grinned, nudging him.

"Thanks," Natsu's face broke into a grin.

"I'll put these away somewhere safe and we can hand them out tomorrow at the supermarket after school." Lucy said, beginning to put them away in tins and stowing them carefully in one of the many cupboards lining the walls. She left one aside, peeling the paper off and taking a knife to cut it in half. She handed one half to Natsu and the both of them sank their teeth into the soft cake.

"Ah...they're perfect." Natsu said, finishing his. He chuckled when he caught sight of Lucy, "You have frosting on your nose, y'know."

"Oh," Lucy blushed, grabbing a napkin and wiping it off her face, "Oops."

"I'd better be going," Natsu said suddenly, glancing at the clock. It was already 6. . Grandine would have dinner ready soon.

"Do you want me to walk home with you?" Lucy asked as she put bowls and spoons covered in gloopy mixture in the sink, intending to wash them later.

Natsu shook his head, "Nah, it's alright. It's not that far."

"Ok, Natsu."

She followed him to the front door where he slipped his sneakers back on and picked up his bag from the hall floor where he'd left it earlier.

"Bye, Natsu."

"See ya, Lucy. I'll see you tomorrow, at school."

"Yep. Goodnight."

She watched him walk down the front path until he disappeared from sight and shut the door, leaning against it and sighing.

She had really thought about Natsu as cute, earlier. And it freaked her out.

...They were just friends.

Her and Natsu Dragneel were just friends.

...Weren't they?

* * *

**A/N: The cuteness of this is nearly too much to write, hahaha...There, some more obvious hints of NaLu, just for you guys! ^-^ A nice, long chapter this time, too! I might take a bit longer with the next one as I don't really have it as planned out, but don't worry, I'll update as soon as I can!**

**Please review and let me know what you thought of this chapter! ^-^**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hello! Let me start off by saying I am very sorry! I know I said I'd update ages ago, but the truth is I had no idea what to write regarding this chapter! (Damn it, writer's block...) I think it's been over a week since the last update! I was just busy...wait for it...having an ACTUAL social life, hahaha! I went out with some friends a few times and I found every time I got back to my computer, poof, no ideas whatsoever! But I think I've got it this time so hopefully this will be good! I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, but without further ado, chapter 8!**

**Disclaimer: I DON'T own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

**~Lucy~**

Natsu: Hey, was wondering when u wanted us to give out the cupcakes?

Lucy: 2day, after school, remember? I told u at my house.

Natsu: Oh yeh. Sorry, I 4got. C u l8r, k?

Lucy: Yeh, c u.

Lucy shoved her phone in her pocket and picked up her bag, stepping out the front door of her house. It was another warm day and the sky was blue and clear, the hot sun blazing down. She sighed, feeling stuffy and warm in her uniform. She was carrying the tins of cupcakes carefully, praying they wouldn't have melted by the time she got to school. She would stow them in her locker and then get Natsu to give them out with her after school. She felt awkward and flushed at the thought of seeing him again. She shook her head to herself- Agh! It's not like she said anything to him out loud! She just thought it. It didn't matter. No-one was going to find out. She sighed as the school came in sight, knowing she would have to face Natsu sooner or later. She changed her sneakers for her indoor shoes and stowed them and the cupcakes safely in her locker. (A/N: I know the shoe lockers are quite small, but I wasn't sure if students in Japan have lockers for books...) She was walking down the hallway in the direction of her class.

"Ah! Lucy-senpai!"

"Hmm?" She turned to face a younger girl with long blue hair tied up in pigtails standing in front of her, clutching her school bag.

"Wendy, isn't it? Lucy smiled politely, "Aren't you Natsu's little sister?"

"Yes," Wendy nodded, "Natsu-nii is my big brother. Well, step-brother, but it's the same."

"He says the same thing," Lucy said, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, "Is there something you want to tell me?"

"Yes," Wendy nodded again, "Well, it's kind of, um, an awkward question...But...Lucy-senpai, are you dating Onii-chan? Or do you like him?"

"Wh-what?!" Lucy's cheeks grew hot and flushed and she looked very flustered. "W-Wendy, what makes you think that?!"

"I'm sorry for asking," Wendy bowed her head in apology, "But you two have been spending a lot of time together..."

"I-it's only been a week or so," Lucy mumbled, her face still flushed.

"Yes, but he talks about you all the time!" Wendy exclaimed.

"...Really?" Lucy asked softly.

Wendy nodded yet again, brushing her blue hair away from her face, "Yes, he does, at home. To me, mostly, because our dad teases him..."

"Eh..." Lucy was at a loss for words. "Why did you want to tell me, anyway?"

"Because, I like you, Lucy-senpai. I think you'd be a good girlfriend for Natsu-nii."

Lucy blushed again, her cheeks glowing. She felt as if her face would never cool down. "Wendy, that's nice, but I don't think anything is going on between your brother and I."

The blue-haired, petite girl's face fell. "Ok, Lucy-senpai. But I'm just telling you what I think." She smiled brightly, "I should be getting to class, now. Goodbye!"

"See ya." Lucy raised a hand as the younger girl took off down the hall. She sighed deeply, heading into her own class. Natsu was causing a lot of stress for her in the past 12 hours.

**~Natsu~**

Natsu slumped against his desk, his chin resting in his hand. The clock was moving unbearably slow and Alzack-sensei's voice droned on, completely uninteresting. He was wearing his school uniform but with the jacket hung over the back of his chair, but it didn't make him feel any better- the classroom was hot and stuffy, even with the window open. He'd tried to talk to Lucy this morning when she'd arrived to class but she was acting strage; kind of flustered and embarassed. Girls are so weird, he decided. They were supposed to be giving out those cupcakes after school, so he hoped she'd be acting normal again by then. Since yesterday, he'd been trying to come up with ideas to earn the money to buy the building, but first he had to ask his friends and get Lucy to ask her's- but he'd come up with few ideas since last night. He supposed they could make more cupcakes and sell them...or sell some old stuff they all had...or have some kind of fundraiser? He would have to ask Lucy later.

"Natsu!"

"Huh?"

He looked up, snapping out of his thoughts. At the top of the classroom, Alzack-sensei was standing with his arms folded across his chest, looking at Natsu expectantly.

"Natsu," He said, "Do you know the answer?"

"...What?"

"The answer to the question I just asked you! Or were you not listening?"

"Uh..." Natsu trailed off uncomfortably. He could feel the whole class turned in their seats to stare at him, and Grey trying to muffle his laughter. Stupid Grey. He would hit him for that, later.

"Well?" Alzack-sensei was still looking at him, eyebrows raised, a disapproving expression on his face.

"...No, sensei. I wasn't. Sorry."

"Don't let it happen again, and see me after class." He warned, turning back around the the board where he continued the lesson. Natsu sighed, returning to his previous position with his chin resting in his palm and his elbow resting on his desk. Today was a really long day.

**~Lucy~**

Finally, after an incredibly long day of class, the bell rang, liberating the students for another day. Lucy shoved everything in her bag quickly and hurried outside, breathing in the air in the hallway. It was a lot-less stuffy out there, that was for sure. Students milled past her, on their way home or to detention, talking to their friends. She waited a few minutes for Natsu, who was being lectured inside by Alzack-sensei for not paying attention in class. He eventually emerged, an annoyed frown on his face, replaced by a sheepish grin when he saw Lucy waiting for him.

"What's up, you troublemaker?" Lucy teased, starting to walk towards her locker.

"Hey," Natsu greeted, "Nothing, blondie." She elbowed him in the ribs for that one.

"What were you even thinking about in there, anyway?" Lucy asked as they walked, turning corners and down corridors.

"Just about what we could do to earn some money," Natsu replied, pushing his hair back from his forehead, "I haven't told my friends yet."

"Me either." Lucy admitted, "But it's our best bet, really. The petition is kind of just a plan B if all else fails."

They reached her locker and Lucy switched her shoes quickly, taking out the tins and handing two to Natsu. She peeked inside, breathing out in relief when she saw they hadn't melted during the school day.

"Ok, let's go." She motioned for Natsu to follow her, and they started walking towards the supermarket. There was a steady amount of people coming in and out of the little shop, now that it was the afternoon. There were people out to buy groceries for dinner or kids on their way home for school, stopping in to buy candy or picking up food for their parents. Lucy and Natsu stood on either side of the door, Natsu holding two tins and Lucy one, and the clipboard in the other. The final tin was set down on the ground behind her. The cupcakes, as they expected, attracted a lot more people this time. A woman with her two toddlers peered inside the tins, looking up at Lucy. "How much will they cost?" She asked, gesturing to her two little ones, "To keep them quiet. They hate shopping."

Lucy smiled at her brightly and said, "They're completely free if you just sign this petition. One signature equals one cupcake, miss."

The woman took a look at the clipboard and took the pen, signing her name and then another. "My husband's name," She explained as Lucy thanked her, handing her two cupcakes for her children. "Thank you!"

They disappeared inside the shop, the two small children burying their faces in the cake. Bribing people was a much better strategy, that was for sure. After that, they handed over cupcakes to a group of teenage students on their way home from school, an old lady and her husband, a little girl walking her dog, several other mothers with their children, a man on picking up groceries for his wife, and a teenage boy with his younger brother in tow. Signature after signature was collected as their supply of cupcakes lessened. After a few hours standing around in the sweltering heat, they were tired and stiff, but much more satisfied this time. Natsu packed up the remaining cupcakes and picked up all the tins as Lucy flipped through the pages quickly, adding up the total number of signatures.

"We collected a total of 38 signatures this time," Lucy grinned, "And with the 9 we got last time...that's 47! That's a good amount, Natsu. Still a back-up plan, but it's a solid one."

"That's awesome." Natsu's face broke into a wide grin. "Lucy, this was a great idea!"

Lucy's cheeks flushed a little but she smiled at him anyway, "Thanks, Natsu. Glad I could help."

"Want me to walk you home?" The salmon-haired boy asked as he handed the tins back to her.

She shook her head, "No thanks. I have to stop off somewhere anyway, so I'll just see you at school tomorrow. And here," She took the tin with the remaining cupcakes inside and handed it to him, "You can take these home for your parents, and your sister. They won't get eaten at my house."

"Ok," Natsu nodded, taking the tin from her, "Thanks, Lucy. See ya."

"Bye."

They walked their seperate ways. Lucy put the clipboard in her school bag and clutched the other tins carefully. She stopped off at a crafts store; there were some things she had to buy for school. She made her purchase after looking around for a while and stepped outside once again into the blistering sunshine of the late afternoon.

"Lucy...Hey."

A male voice greeted her and suddenly a tall figure was blocking her way forward, someone with a confident grin and black, spiky hair.

Natsu's opponent from his fight.

"Oh, um, hey..." Damn it! What was his name again?! She didn't really want to talk to him anyway...He was kind of creepy, to be honest...

"Isamu. Isamu Tanaka." He said, giving her a cool, green-eyed stare, "Don't tell me you've forgotten?" He smirked.

"N-no," Lucy stammered, avoiding eye contact with him, "Look, I really must be going now..." She trailed off and tried to step around him, but he grabbed hold of her wrist.

"Don't go just yet." He said, "I thought we could hang out."

"Um, Isamu, I barely know you..."

"That's the point," Isamu said casually, letting go of her wrist. "We could get to know eachother."

"F-fine..." Lucy sighed, defeated. She supposed a few minutes wouldn't hurt.

"Great. Come on, then." Isamu started strolling towards the park down the street. She hurried to catch up with him, already regreting her decision. Only a few minutes. She would leave after that. Lucy followed the black-haired boy to a park bench situated underneath drooping trees with twisted branches. They sat down, Lucy making sure to be as far away from him as possible. Awkward silence passed for a while until she finally spoke up.

"S-so, Isamu, you box?"

Obviously, Lucy.

Bad conversation starter.

But it didn't seem to phase him; he instead gave her that confident, slightly cocky grin and nodded his head, "Yeah, for the past few years. I'm pretty good."

She had to stop herself from pointing out that Natsu had beat him in the fight she'd seen.

"That's cool." Lucy said awkwardly.

"Lucy..."

"Yea-?" Lucy turned to face him properly, immediately wishing she hadn't. He'd leaned forward, placed a hand on her waist, and was just about to try and kiss her.

Kiss her. Without warning.

Freaking. Kiss. Her.

"Isamu!" Lucy yelled, pushing him back roughly. His green eyes widened and he fell off the bench, startled. Lucy stood up angrily, facing him.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" She demanded, pointing an accusing finger at him.

"What do you think I was doing?" Again with that cocky grin of his! Ugh!

"I barely know you!" Lucy screeched, "You can't just try and kiss me!"

"I thought you'd want me to-"

"No!" She cut him off abruptly, "I don't want you to! Goodbye!"

The blonde turned on her heel and stormed off angrily towards the direction of her house.

She couldn't believe he seriously just did that!

"Boys are so annoying." Lucy groaned to herself.

* * *

**A/N: I hope this was good enough for the wait! Again, I am very sorry I took so long to update this time! But I brought Isamu back, like I said, hehehe...He will return and cause more drama! Ok, well, reviews are love! Until next time! ^-^**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Yo, minna! I'm updating faster this time, hehehe. A lot of you didn't seem to like Isamu very much, and to be honest, I wanted to hit him myself! Then I remembered I was the one who wrote the scene, ahahaha...Anyway, Chapter 9! I think this story is going pretty well. I've reached 74 reviews, and my goal is 100! Also, I reached 28 favourites and 54 follows. Thank you all so much! ^-^**

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Fairy Tail! Just Isamu the Lucy-kisser... (That was a terrible insult, ahaha...)**

* * *

**~Lucy~**

Lucy sighed deeply, turning in her bed. The sheets were tangled and only partially covered her- it was too hot to sleep. The room was dark and she had the window wide open, but she still felt stuffy and uncomfortable. Not to mention she kept thinking about Isamu. Isamu the creep. Isamu the kiss-me-when-I'm-not-looking guy. Ugh! She hated him. She barely knew the guy, having only one encounter with him previously, and only for about 3 minutes. Who did he think he was, going around trying to kiss random girls?! He seemed like he was the type of guy to have a new girl every week, with his cocky, overconfident grin and good-looks. AGH! Did her inner-self actually just call him good-looking?! She needed to stop doing that...But it was true, she had to admit. Him with his black, spiky hair and smouldering green eyes. Stupid jerk. She turned over again, reaching out to pull open her drawer and take her phone out. She pressed the button, the little screen lighting up, and checked the time- 4.13am. The little message icon was in the corner, too, signalling she had a text message. She groaned to herself, running a hand through her blonde hair. She had been awake, tossing and turning, for hours. She had to get up for school in a few hours, anyway. The blonde girl sighed again and sat up in her bed, stretching her arms above her head for a moment before pulling the sheets off herself and standing up. Her pyjamas were pink and white striped shorts and a pink tank top, and her hair was tied up in a ponytail, but she was still swelteringly hot. Phone still in hand, Lucy opened her bedroom door and tip-toed softly across the landing and down the stairs, careful not to wake up anyone else in the house. She entered the kitchen and opened up the fridge, peering inside until finally deciding she wasn't that hungry, and took a carton of juice apple juice out. She took a swig of the sweet, cold liquid and placed the carton on the counter top, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, and took a seat at the table. Lucy pressed the button on her phone and opened up the message, seeing it was from Natsu, sent several hours ago. She hadn't heard it come in.

Natsu: Hey, been thinking about ways 2 earn money 4 building. We should talk ideas 2morrow at school.

Lucy read it and typed a quick reply.

Lucy: Sure, no prob. Sorry for txting so late at nite. Can't sleep.

She got a reply, surprisingly, a few minutes later.

Natsu: It's ok, me either. Hope you sleep a bit b4 school. Nite.

She smiled to herself, switching her phone off again. That was nice of Natsu. Natsu was nice. Natsu was really nice. And cu-

NO, Lucy! Shut. Up.

Ugh, she was tired of her inner-self calling guys cute and good-looking and stuff. Especially when it was her friend, or a guy she didn't like even remotely. She sighed deeply again, picking up the carton of apple juice and putting it back in the fridge, and heading back upstairs as quietly as she could. She should get some sleep before school.

**~Natsu~**

"You should've seen it, Natsu-nii, Romeo-chan was so embarassed! He said it right in front of the whole class, too..."

"Hmm...yeah."

"The others were teasing him like crazy, but I hope he's not as flustered today..."

"Yep...Uh-huh..."

"And did I tell you Romeo-chan asked me out, too? We're going to a night club on Friday...He has a fake ID, you see, so we'll be able to buy alcohol..."

"WHAT?!" Natsu turned to face his younger sister, who had a mischevious grin on her face. She pointed a finger at him accusingly, her bag clutched in one hand, "I KNEW you weren't listening, Natsu-nii!"

"...Right. I wasn't. Sorry, Wendy."

"It's ok, Natsu." She smiled brightly, "What's on your mind, anyway?"

"Nothing, really..." Natsu trailed off.

"Is it Lucy-senpai?"

He gave her an incredulous look, eyebrows raised. "Why do you think that?"

"Oh, I don't know...You two have been spending a lot of time together, y'know..."

Natsu's cheeks flushed. "D-don't be silly, Wendy, we're just friends..."

"I don't know, Natsu-nii," Wendy winked playfully, grinning and poking her tongue out, "I'm very much a NaLu shipper!" (A/N: See what I did there? Hehehe...)

"N-NaLu? You seriously made up a ship name? Wendy, this isn't an anime! How many people did you tell that?!" Natsu looked horrified, staring at her with wide, onyx eyes.

"Oh, don't worry," Wendy skipped ahead, blue pigtails swinging, and although her back was to him, he could practically hear the smile in her voice, "It's just me. But still, I think you should consider it..."

"Damn it, Wendy...There's nothing going on, ok?" Natsu breathed out in relief as they reached school and Wendy went her seperate way, heading to the girls' shoe lockers.

"Think about it!" She called, smiling and disappearing around a corner.

Natsu sighed, his face still tinted faintly red. Why was he getting so het up over Lucy, anyway? He sighed, walking down the corridor to his classroom. Today was going to be a long day.

* * *

After what felt like months, years, an eternity, the school bell FINALLY rang, signalling it was time for lunch. Students took out boxed lunches to eat in the classroom or head somewhere else around school, maybe outside on the grass, it being so warm these past few weeks. Natsu had spoken to Lucy this morning and agreed to meet her on the roof. He took his lunch from his bag and started to walk down the halls and up the stairs leading to the roof. Lucy was already there, standing reasonably close to the edge, her back turned to him. Her blonde hair was swaying gently in the slight breeze. Natsu sniggered quietly to himself, a plan forming in his mind. He edged closer to her, stepping as quietly as possible. He was going to try and scare her. He raised his hands when he was just close enough, bringing them down on her shoulders.

"Gotcha!" He yelled.

Lucy shrieked, jumping out of her skin. She waved her arms, and for a second, teetered on the edge. Natsu's heart quickened as it looked as if she was about to fall. He grabbed her wrist quickly, pulling her in from the edge.

Oops. He had made it instantly awkward.

He was holding onto her wrist, their faces centimetres apart. Lucy's hands were resting on his chest and his other hand had somehow settled itself on her waist. They stared at eachother for a moment, faces flushing bright red, until Lucy finally broke the silence.

"Natsu, you bastard!" She screeched. She hit him in the shoulder, stepping away from him. "What did you do that for?!"

"...I thought it would've been funny."

"It wasn't!" Lucy said indignantly, "I could've fallen! And _died_!"

"I'm sorry, Lucy," Natsu said sheepishly, "But I wouldn't have let you fall."

"Y-yeah...Just don't do it again, ok?"

"Promise."

The blonde and the salmon-haired boy sat down on the roof, facing eachother.

"So," Natsu began, "Any ideas?"

Lucy rested her elbow on her knee and her chin in her hand. "I thought of a few," She began thoughtfully, "But they're kind of obvious ones. I don't know how we can make all that money quickly, but I guess it'll have to take some time."

"The boxing club is scheduled for demolition on the 22nd of July," Natsu said, a serious expression on his face, "Last Saturday was the first. Today is the 4th. That gives us...18 days. Just over two weeks, then."

"I'm sure we can make it," Lucy smiled encouragingly. "Have you mentioned it to your friends yet?"

"Not yet," Natsu admitted, leaning back with his hands clasped behind his head, "But I'm planning to soon. I just thought it would be better if we told them at the same time."

"Yeah, that makes sense," Lucy continued, pulling her knees up to her chest, "How many people are we thinking, anyway?"

"Let's see..." Natsu started counting them off on his fingers, "There's me, Grey, Jellal, Gajeel, Loke and Elfman."

"And I was thinking of me, Juvia, Erza, Levy...and I could get Mirajane, too."

"Elfman's sister, right?"

"Yep."

"Y'know," Natsu said, turning his head to look at her, "I don't think I really know much about your friends. We didn't know much about eachother at all until last week."

"I knew you and Grey were in my class when I saw you, but no, I guess not."

"So tell me about them, then," Natsu suggested, "And I'll tell you about mine."

"Ok, let me think..." Lucy tapped her chin thoughtfully, "Well, there's just me in your class, 2A. In 2C there's Juvia Lockser, the one with blue, wavy hair and kind of pale skin. She drinks a lot of water."

"I heard somewhere she likes Grey?" Natsu questioned.

"Yep," Then adding quickly, "But don't let anyone know. I know she makes it kind of obvious but she doesn't want him to find out from anyone else."

"My lips are sealed," Natsu drew a finger across his lips to confirm this, "Continue?"

"Then there's Levy McGarden, in 2B. She has blue hair too, only she always wears a yellow headband. She's got brown eyes, and she's pretty small."

"...I think Gajeel likes her."

"You're kidding!" Lucy exclaimed.

"I don't know for sure, but we kind of guessed so." Natsu shrugged.

"And then...Erza Scarlet. Long, red hair, brown eyes. Very pretty, but violent."

"Oh, I definitely know her," Natsu's face was an expression of fear, "She scares the crap out of us."

"Yup...That's Erza..." Lucy trailed off, giggling. "Finally, Mirajane. I don't know her as well as I know the others but she's got long, wavy white hair and blue eyes. She's really sweet, but if you get on her bad side she can be vicious. Her and Elfman lost their little sister Lisanna to an accident two years ago."

Natsu smiled sadly, "Yeah, I know. Lisanna and I were friends."

"Oh, Natsu, I'm so sorry."

"It's ok. I'll tell you about my friends now, yeah?"

"Yeah."

"There's Grey Fullbuster, blue-black, spiky hair and black eyes. He has a weird stripping habit. His clothes just like, disappear. He doesn't even know how it happens."

"Oh, yeah, he's in our class. That's an, um, interesting habit of his."

"I know. Next, there's Gajeel Redfox, the tall guy with long black hair. He tries to act tough all the time, but he's mostly cool. The one who made a bet with you."

"Uh-huh." Lucy smiled at the memory. She'd long since spent the money, it not really being a huge amount anyway, but it was still a victory moment for her.

"Jellal Fernandez, blue hair and a kind of red tattoo thing on his right eye. It's not actually inked on, I don't think."

"Are you serious?" Lucy asked incredulously, "I thought it was a tattoo all this time."

"Nope. Or at least, he has yet to admit. Loke Celeste, orange hair, usually wears blue tinted glasses. He's a total womaniser."

"He's made a move on me once or twice."

"We reckon he's made a move on at least half the girls in the school so far. Finally, Elfman Strauss. Tall guy, with white, spiky hair. Scar on one eye. He's obsessed with manliness and stuff."

"So...That's everyone?" Lucy asked, "All together, it's me, you, Juvia, Grey, Levy, Gajeel, Erza, Jellal, Mirajane, Elfman and Loke?"

"I think that's it." Natsu confirmed. "Now. Ideas. I was thinking we could get everyone to donate a bunch of stuff, old or new, and we could have like a garage sale."

"That's a good idea," Lucy nodded, "And I was thinking we could have some kind of fundraiser. Y'know when people do sports marathons and stuff? Well, I thought, what better sport to do a fundraiser for than boxing?"

Natsu turned to her, grinning, "Lucy, you're a genius."

"When's the next time you're training?" Lucy asked.

"Thursday."

"Ok. Could you bring it up, then?"

"Sure. When can we get everyone together to tell them?"

"I was thinking after school? We could just use one of the empty classrooms."

"Alright. I'll let everyone know." Natsu stood, extending a hand for Lucy, who grabbed on, pulling herself up. The bell rang just as they were heading down the stairs. They went their seperate ways for a few minutes, looking for their friends around school. It was relatively easy considering most of them were heading back to class by now.

"Meet me in the empty classroom, 2A, when the bell rings. I have something important to tell you."

Natsu and Lucy got back to their own class just in time, nodding in confirmation and grinning at eachother.

The plan was in action.

* * *

**A/N: That little NaLu moment sneaked in there, hahaha...I actually only thought of it when I was in the middle of typing out the chapter. Remember, reviews are love, so let me know what you thought! Also, after much consideration, I have decided to delete my story, The Light Mage's Past. It was my first story on here but it's really going nowhere by now, so I've decided to simply delete it. I will most likely re-write it with a better plotline, but with the same OC's. **

**Until next time! ^-^**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Let me start off by saying, gomenasai, minna! I am so, SO sorry it took me this long to update! I was back at school recently, and I've had a lot of homework, and I've been catching up with Fairy Tail, and just...I've been busy! I was also thinking a lot about how this story was going to go, so I think I have the next few chapters planned out... (and a lot of NaLu moments, hehehe...) Ok, so, chapter 10! I hope you enjoy it! ^-^**

* * *

**~Natsu~**

"Ok, everyone, listen up!"

Natsu's voice rang over the classroom, alive with the hum of chatter and laughter coming from his and Lucy's friends. Him and Lucy were standing at the top of the classroom, in front of Alzack-sensei's desk, facing their friends. Grey and Loke were in mid-conversation, Juvia was staring feverishly at Grey and blushing every time he glanced over, Erza and Jellal had started talking, Mira was scolding Elfman over something, probably at home, and Gajeel was sitting stiffly beside Levy, arms folded, blushing and trying to look tough. So he really did like her...Anyway, back to buisness. Nine curious faces faced him, waiting expectantly.

"So," Natsu began briskly, "I suppose you're all wondering why you're here today. The thing is...Well, where do I begin...It's, um...Lucy?" He turned to her hopefully, waiting for her to start talking. She raised an eyebrow, sighing, but turned to face everyone.

"Ok, everyone. We need your help. In case any of you don't know, Natsu here is-" She paused to gesture to Natsu beside her, as if everyone needed confirmation of who he was, "A boxer. But the boxing club his dad rents and coaches in is under threat of demolition in a few weeks time. We've been trying to think of ways to save it, and I found out that it could be bought for 35,000 yen. I know, that's a lot, but we thought, with your guys help...We could do it."

"I want to help you out, really," Grey spoke up, "But how would we even earn that kind of money?"

"We had some ideas." Natsu continued where Lucy left off, "I thought we could have a garage sale of some kind, and Lucy thought we could organise a sponsored marathon, a boxing one. That second one would take some time, but we have just over two weeks. So we were thinking we should put something in action this week, if you guys were interested? We could really use the help."

"I'm in. Definitely." Grey said, almost immediately.

"I'll do it too!" Juvia exclaimed, glancing over at Grey and blushing deeply, "G-Grey-sama...Your shirt...?"

"What the-?!"

"I'll help you, Lu-Chan!" Levy called determinedly, raising a hand in the air.

"I suppose I will too." Gajeel said gruffly, arms folded.

"I'd do anything to help a friend." Erza assured, smiling, and turned to Jellal, "Are you in?"

"Yeah, sure." Jellal half-smiled, the corners of his mouth turning upwards.

"Helping friends is for a MAN!" Elfman exclaimed loudly.

"I'll be of help to you, Lucy." Mira said, smiling pleasantly. (No one noticed the subtle shove she gave Elfman for shouting like that.)

"I'll do it," Loke grinned, his glasses glinting, "For you, Lucy, dear. So you don't have to worry that pretty little head of yours."

"Ah...!" Lucy blushed and frowned, "W-well...Is that everyone?"

Elfman, Mirajane, Juvia, Grey, Jellal, Erza, Gajeel, Levy and Loke all nodded, a loud, "Yeah!" resounding throughout the classroom. Natsu and Lucy both turned to eachother, smiling brightly.

"Thanks, guys. Thanks a lot." Natsu said sincerely, walking towards the group in the middle of the classroom.

"Hey," Grey grinned, "This is important to you, right?"

"And if Lu-chan wants to help you, then we're in too!" Levy exclaimed, blue hair swinging.

"So...How is this all going to work out?" Erza questioned, being ever the rational thinker. She looked around at Lucy expectantly.

"Are all of you free tomorrow?" The blonde asked.

There was a moment's pause while everyone quickly ran through the rest of their week in their heads, before everyone nodded, confirming that they weren't busy.

"After school, come to my house," Natsu explained, "And bring anything you don't want anymore, anything old, with you. From any members of your family."

"I reckon Ur probably has some old stuff lying around somewhere." Grey said, resting his elbows on the desk he was sitting at. Ur was Grey's foster mother, who'd adopted him as a little kid when his parents died.

"My dad, too..." Gajeel spoke up.

"I'm sure all of you do," Lucy said encouragingly, "So tomorrow, Natsu's house. We can gather it all, then set up on Thursday after school?"

"Sounds good."

"I'm in."

"Great."

"Ok then."

"Yeah."

"No problem."

A series of confirmations echoed around the classroom. Natsu grinned, the corners of his eyes crinkling, "Ok, thanks. So I'll see all of you tomorrow?"

"Yep!"

"I'm glad you guys are going to help us with this." Lucy smiled at all of them brightly, brushing her blonde hair out of her face.

"It'll be fun." Levy said optimistically, smiling at her blonde friend brightly. She kicked her legs where she was sitting, on top of a desk, her feet not quite reaching the ground.

"You sure are small." Gajeel chuckled, taking notice of this.

"H-hey!" Levy protested, frowning at him, "Gajeel...Don't say that!"

"Well, it's true!"

"Don't be mean! My size doesn't matter!"

"I'm just saying what's true. You're a shrimp."

"DON'T call me a shrimp!"

"Will you two stop fighting?" Erza asked, her tone menacing. She seemed to rise several feet above them.

"Yes, Erza..."

"I'd better head." Grey stood up and picked up his bag. He hesitated for a second, then, "Juvia...You live near me, right? Want to walk home with me?"

"Wh-y-yes!" Juvia blushed scarlet, smiling widely, and scurried over to him. She nodded vigorously, "L-let's go..." The two of them exited the classroom, Grey raising a hand casually, saying he'd see them tomorrow.

Erza and Levy set off, then Elfman and Mira, and finally, Jellal, Loke, and Gajeel. Natsu and Lucy were left standing in an empty classroom.

"So...that went well." Lucy pointed out thoughtfully, turning to face Natsu.

"Yeah, it did," Natsu exclaimed, strands of salmon hair falling into his eyes. "I'm glad we could get everyone to help. I really think we can do this."

"Yeah, so do I, Natsu." Lucy smiled assuringly, though inside, her stomach was turning. They had to be able to do this. If they didn't get the boxing club back, if they didn't earn the money they needed, then she would never forgive herself. Natsu would never forgive her, and she didn't want that.

"Come on, Lucy. I'll walk home with you."

No answer.

"Lucy? You coming?"

"Huh?" The blonde girl looked up to see Natsu gesturing expectantly to the door. His bag was slung across his shoulder.

"R-right! Sorry!" She picked up her own bag, running after him and trying to smile. Thoughts churned around in her head as she glanced over at Natsu's face worriedly.

She couldn't let her dad buy that building.

No, never.

Not a chance.

* * *

**A/N: Gomenasai, that chapter was short... (Sorry for all the japanese...I've been watching A LOT of sub lately, ahaha...) But I hope you liked it! I have the next few planned out, so I should hopefully have them up soon! **

**Until next time, minna! ^-^**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Hello, minna! I'm sorry I haven't been updating as fast lately, but I've just been getting distracted with school and homework and it was my birthday (I'm 14 now, yay!) recently and just lots of stuff! But this chapter isn't exactly part of the story per say, it's kind of more a few short side stories through the perspective of the other characters! Also, Tanabata is coming up soon in the story, so maybe they'll go to a festival soon, hmmm? Forgive the long note but I have a question for you FT fans out there- is the Phoenix Priestess available in english dub? I heard it was but I'm not 100% sure and I'd really like to see it...Anyway, back to the story! Chapter 11, ne?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail!**

* * *

**~Grey~**

_"G-Grey...go...go find help...a-and..and we l-love you...always..."_

_Grey's hands shook as he wiped away tears spilling from his eyes furiously. He held his head in his hands, a rattling cough in his throat. His voice cracked when he spoke._

_"Stop it...stop talking like you're going to die!"_

Grey shot up in his bed with a jolt, and with a stream of curses he lost his balance and went falling over the side, landing on the ground heavily with a dull thump. His blankets were twisted around him, his fists clenching them tightly. He felt like he couldn't breathe. He was gasping like he'd been running for hours and there was a burning feeling in his throat. It was only when he felt his face was wet that he realised it was from trying not to cry. Tears were streaming from his eyes as he wiped them away angrily, his throat raw. He glanced at the clock from his position on the floor- 4.34am. Grey rubbed his eyes wearily, sniffing, when the door crashed open and Ur rushed in, brandishing a frying pan.

"I heard loud noises!" She said, looking around wildly, (Although she looked less than threatening in pink pyjamas with a frying pan as a weapon and messed-up hair from sleeping) "Grey, is someone in here? Are you hurt?! Did anyth-" She stopped talking abruptly when she caught sight of the tears on Grey's bewildered face. He stood up quickly, looking down at the floor and sitting back on his bed and pulling his knees up to his chest. Ur lowered her hands, taking a seat next to him on his bed. "Hey.." She said, her voice soft, "Grey, what's wrong?"

"I...I'm fine," Grey muttered looking up at her, "I just...I had the dream again."

"The...the one about your mom and dad?"

"...Yeah."

Grey's parents had died almost 7 years ago, when he was 10, in a car accident. He still bore the scars, physical and emotional ones. Although his friends knew, he tried his best not to think about it, or talk about it, but he still had the same recurring nightmare every now and then, the moment just before he knew his parents had died, when his mother had told him they loved him and her the light faded from her eyes and slowly closed. It haunted him, never really fully going away. But he loved Ur, he really did, and he was glad it was her who had fostered him. She was working on getting him permanently adopted now. Ur slung an arm around his shoulders, pulling him close.

"You want to talk about it?"

"N...no. No thanks, Ur. I'm fine. Really."

"Well...What can I do to help?"

"I don't know. I really don't." He held his head in his hand, squeezing his eyes shut. "You can go back to sleep, Ur. I'll be fine."

She sighed deeply and stood back up, picking up her weapon (or the frying pan) off the floor and headed out the door. She turned around just as she stepped outside his room, the light from the hall casting shadows across half of her face. "Grey, just remember...I'm right down the hall, if you need to talk. And...and maybe talk to someone else if not me, ne? Natsu, or...or that girl you walked home with today...There's a darkness within you, Grey, that needs to be set free."

Grey raised a skeptical eyebrow at that last part. It was vaguely philosophical and he didn't really understand it, but it must have some meaning to Ur. He just nodded and smiled weakly as she closed the door. He lay back down, sighing, and pulled the blankets back over him. Talk to Natsu...he didn't think he could do that. They were good friends, but it wouldn't feel right. He knew Natsu too well and he knew his own problems were what he was focusing on right now. But...Juvia, he barely knew, not yet anyway. Maybe...?

Grey reached for his phone, scrolling through the numbers, and taking a deep breath, dialled her number. After a few rings he was about to hang up when a sleepy voice sounded on the other side.

"Grey...Grey-sama? Is something wrong?" He heard her yawn.

"Juvia? I'm sorry for calling so late. Or early. Whatever. But do you...do you mind if we talk?"

* * *

**~Gajeel~**

Gajeel rested his elbow on the window sill and his chin in the palm of his hand. He sighed for what felt like the millionth time that night. It looked like he wasn't getting any sleep tonight, anyway. He couldn't stop thinking about...her. About that god-damn, tiny, blue-haired beauty of a bookworm.

Levy McGarden had taken up a permanent place in his mind.

He couldn't help it. He had fallen for her hard and it was frustrating him to the max. He sighed once again, grumbling to himself. She was just so damn _cute._ It pissed him off! He didn't understand why he had fallen for her in the first place. She was so tiny and sweet and cute, and he was...well he was just Gajeel, bold and brash and agressive. But the little blue-haired shrimp had stolen his heart and wasn't giving it back anytime soon. ACK! She made him think all...all mushy, and soppy, and romantic! He had teased her today to get her attention, and it had worked, clearly. She had indignantly protested against his claims of her shrimpiness, but the point was they had talked to eachother. It was pretty stupid, and kind of pathetic, really, but Gajeel couldn't help it- falling in love with someone really changed you. But at least he would see her more often now, since they were both helping out Lucy and Natsu with the whole boxing club thing. He hadn't realised how neck-deep in problems Natsu had been before. Or that he'd been hanging around with Blondie. (He said Lucy to her face, though. He didn't want his eyes ripped out of his head.) Natsu and Lucy, though, huh? Natsu hadn't said anything, but he thought he might like her. He didn't know about her liking him, though. He was no good at guessing what girls were feeling. If he was, he would know whether he should be trying with Levy at all right now or not. Gajeel growled to himself, throwing himself back down on his bed and clasping his hands behind his head, staring up at the white ceiling. He needed some sleep. He turned over, sighing yet AGAIN, and closed his eyes.

Love was such a bitch.

* * *

**~Elfman and Mirajane~**

"L...Lisanna! NO!"

Mirajane heard the shouting from the room down the hall and knew instantly what it was. She sighed and stood up from her desk, closing the book she had been studying and placing it to one side neatly on top of the rest. Elfman was talking, or rather shouting, in his sleep again. It was always about Lisanna, too. It had been two years since she'd died. They had lost their parents at a young age and Mirajane, being the oldest, had felt obligated to take care of her younger siblings. She had left her brash ways behind her back then, although she still heard the nickname 'She Devil' whispered every now and then. But when Lisanna had been taken from them, everything they knew fell apart. Elfman became fiercely overprotective of Mirajane, despite being younger, vowing to beat anyone who hurt her or threatened her senseless. It was just the two of them in this house now, and Lisanna, with her short, white hair, kind ways and bright smile, was missed dearly. Life would never be the same without her. Mira knocked on Elfman's bedroom door tentatively, waiting a moment before opening it up and stepping inside. He was sitting on the edge of his bed, looking up as she walked into the room. It was ironic that he was her younger brother, really, because he was at least 4 inches taller and twice as strong. His shock of spiky white hair and the scar across his right eye made him look even more menacing, but when he was a child he was very gentle and timid.

"Elfman...What's wrong? Were you dreaming about Lisanna again?"

"Yeah..." He sighed, resting his head in his hand, "I don't know why though. It's been a while since the last time."

"Hmmm..." The white-haired girl sat down on the end of her younger brother's bed, crossing her legs, and staring at him with blue eyes. "Do you think...it's because we saw Natsu today?"

Elfman shook his head, "No, onee-chan. I see Natsu most days, even if it's just at school. But you haven't spoken to him since Lisanna's funeral...have you been thinking about her, too?"

Mira nodded, smiling, although her eyes were sad. "I have, if I'm being honest. The two year anniversary just passed, so it's natural she'd be on our minds a bit more than usual lately. But helping out Natsu now when he and Lisanna were such close friends...It's bound to remind me a little more, I suppose." She was startled to hear a sudden sniffling from the other end of the bed and looked up to see Elfman dragging a hand across his eyes.

"Elfman! Why are you crying?" She asked gently, leaning closer to him.

"I-I'm not crying.." He frowned, blinking back his tears, "I just...I just really miss her, y'know?"

Mirajane embraced her younger brother tightly and suddenly, her own shoulders shaking.

"Onee-chan...don't you cry, too."

"I'm sorry," Mira sobbed, tightening her grip on Elfman's large frame, "I know, Elfman, I know...I miss Lisanna too. But we can get through this...we can get through this together, right?"

"Y-yeah...of course we can..."

The white-haired girl and boy embraced, and there was silence as the Strauss siblings cried silently through the night.

* * *

**~Juvia~**

"Yes, Grey-sama. It wasn't a problem. I'll see you tomorrow, okay? Goodnight, Grey-sama."

Juvia pressed the end call button on her phone and placed it back in her school bag, sighing happily and leaning against the table which she had taken a seat at when she received the phone call. It was a simple wooden desk and sat opposite her window, so she was looking out at the dark sky, scattered with millions of tiny, silver stars. The blue-haired girl smiled to herself, resting her chin in the palm of her pale hand. Grey-sama had called her. He had really called her because he wanted to talk. She giggled gleefully, her heart racing the same way it had when she'd answered the phone and heard his anxious voice on the other end. She knew she was being silly and childish- what he'd wanted to talk about was no laughing matter and she was honoured he'd even considered her to open up to. But the rather large part of her that was just so in love with him was squealing and blushing internally. The other, much smaller and more rational part of her was sighing and rolling her eyes at her lovesick couterpart. That is, if those feelings of her's had a physical form. (She imagined they'd be like tiny versions of her.)

The amount of information she'd received about Grey and his personal life was like a kind of heaviness, a weight sh now posessed that was sacred because he had chosen to confide in her. He'd asked her with a nervous edge in his voice to keep it to herself, and to that, she would oblige. Juvia wasn't one to gossip and she would take these secrets of his to the grave. She had never realised how sad he was. Juvia had been in love with the black-haired boy since the incident a few months ago, at the beginning of the school year, when he'd stood up for her after those girls had been teasing her.

_"Hey, leave her alone! Don't you have anything better to do than pick on her?"_

_The loud voice came from the end of hall as the cluster of girls slowly parted, revealing a tall, black-blue haired boy with dark eyes. He frowned deeply, glancing around at the group of girls, his gaze falling to a bewildered looking Juvia. She was crouched on the floor, her hat askew on her head and tears at the corners of her eyes. One of them had started picking on her for hanging around by herself 'like a loner', and it had quickly escelated into a gang attack. The boy opened his mouth to speak again, his dark eyebrows furrowed and his expression disapproving. "What do you think you guys were doing, huh?"_

_"Just teaching her a lesson, Grey," One of them tried to sidle up to him, smiling sickeningly sweetly, but he kept her at arms length. The girl crossed her arms, huffing. _

_"She was being a weirdo, as usual," She scowled, glaring at Juvia._

_"Get lost. All of you." Grey looked around at all of them. They all sighed, rolled their eyes and shot Juvia one last look of contempt before they flounced away, flicking their hair over their shoulders. Grey extended a hand, a warm smile on his face._

_"Sorry about all that. Are you ok?"_

_Juvia nodded quickly, grasping his hand as he pulled her to her feet. _

_"I'm Grey Fullbuster...and you?"_

_"J-Juvia...I'm Juvia Lockser." _

_He flashed that smile again, "Well, nice to meet you, Juvia. Glad you're ok."_

She smiled softly at the memory. It had been since that day, several months ago, that she'd fallen for Grey Fullbuster. She'd only worked up the courage to finally tell Lucy, Levy and Erza who she'd been crushing so hopelessly on for so long last week. Her heart quickened whenever she saw him, her throat became dry and she blushed against her will, not to mention she lost the ability to form coherent sentences. Juvia sighed, climbing back into bed and pulling the blue blankets over herself. She often had days where she felt a misery flourishing in her chest when she saw him, thinking he could never like her back the way she liked him. But after tonight, maybe...

Maybe they were finally making some progress.

* * *

**~Levy~**

_The knight, sitting astride a horse as black as night, smiled down at the maiden. He brushed dark, mahagony strands of hair back from his forehead, the jewels embedded in the hilt of his sword glinting in the sunlight. He dismounted and took her in his arms as she let out a little gasp._

_"What are you-"_

_The beautiful girl was cut short as he pressed his lips against hers, finally kissing her._

Levy let out a tiny squeal and clutched the worn, dog-eared book to her chest. Ah, she just loved that story so much! She'd owned the book since she was a little girl and re-read it many times- the petite, blue-haired girl had always been a sucker for anything sweet or romantic. Ever since she was little, she had spent much of her time with her head buried in a book. She loved everything about reading- the plots, the characters, the mythical lands and creatures and gallant heroes and beautiful maidens, and being able to lose herself so easily that she became so oblivious to her surroundings. Speaking of oblivious, what time was it now? She felt as if she'd been reading for a long time. She glanced over at her clock and did a double-take- 5.10am?! How had it gotten that late so quickly?! Oh dear, she really needed some sleep...she had to get up for school in a few hours...it was a good thing she had sorted out her stuff for the garage sale when she'd gotten home. Levy switched off her light and dove under the covers, placing the blankets so they didn't cover too much of her- it was still really warm out. It was July, now- Tanabata soon, too. The little bookworm turned over in her bed, facing the wall of her room. Stuck on the wall with tape were pictures of her, Lucy, Erza and Juvia, her and Lucy hugging, her mom and dad, a single one of her, smiling brightly, her dog. Lots of them. Her mind wandered back to the book she had just been reading. The stories she read were always filled with dashing men sweeping beautiful women off their feet and living happily together. Levy, always a hopeless romantic, had always dreamed of someone charming and kind coming along and falling in love with her. But she wasn't a beautiful maiden with long, golden hair and sparkling blue eyes- she was little and slim with shoulder-length, wavy blue hair and brown eyes. Quite a plain person, in her own opinion, anyway. She wasn't like Erza with her long, scarlet hair and warm brown eyes, or Lucy with her golden hair and creamy skin, or Juvia with her long, wavy blue hair and dark blue eyes. She was just Levy, small and quiet and cheerful. The one she wanted to be her charming hero...was unreachable.

She had fallen for Gajeel Redfox.

Even though she protested when he teased her, her heart felt quick and fluttery. But he was tall and dark and handsome- he wouldn't want anything to do with someone so little and nerdy. He was sure she'd much prefer someone like Juvia or Erza. Maybe not Lucy, because she was sure her and Natsu would end up together. She had suspected that she'd liked him, the way she kept walking home with him and such, but she'd never guessed until today how much bigger what they'd been planning. She felt just the slightest bit hurt that Lu-Chan hadn't told her before. After all, they were supposed to be best friends, weren't they? But she brushed it off. It was kept secret for a reason and she wasn't about to be so selfish and complain about it. Oh, but Gajeel was going to be helping out too, and that made her happy- she was usually much to shy or intimidated to talk to him. She wanted so much for him to be her prince, her hero, her knight, and to be his princess, his fair maiden. She turned over in her bed again, sighing. Maybe Gajeel would never like her. Maybe small, slim girls just weren't the kind of person he was into. But despite all her doubts, Levy still desperately hoped that maybe, just maybe...

Gajeel would become her hero after all?

* * *

**A/N: Phew! That was the longest chapter in a while, wasn't it? I had fun writing all those little kind of mini side-stories from the points of view of Lucy and Natsu's friends! Some of them were quite sad, I admit, but I hope you liked them! ^-^**

**Until next time, minna!**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Oh wow, guys, you'll never guess! I finally reached over 100 reviews! Thank you so much for all of your support and reviews! I'm so happy! Ok, chapter 12! I'm glad you guys liked chapter 11, and now...the money earning begins! The garage sale should be over pretty soon, I think I'm going to have them have it on the Wednesday because I want them to go to a Tanabata festival on Friday, hehehe...It's actually way past July now, obviously, but I started writing this during summer and I don't want a huge time-skip, so, yeah! Anyway, next chapter! Also note I HAVE changed my name to SkyDragonRoar, but it's still little ol' Kat-Chan here. ^-^  
**

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Fairy Tail!**

* * *

**~Lucy~**

"You guys all ready to go, then?"

Lucy adressed her friends in front of her. The scarlet-haired girl, the white-haired girl and the two blue-haired girls all nodded and smiled. Behind them, they all lugged several bags of assorted junk for the garage sale, ranging from toys to clothes. Lucy had several bags of her own clutched tightly in her hands. Last night, she had torn apart most of the house looking for stuff to bring with her tomorrow. Now, her and her four friends were gathered outside Lucy's house, and on their way to Natsu's. The five girls dragged on in the blazing heat down the street, lugging large bags behind them valiantly. Finally, they reached the outside of Natsu's house and stopped, breathing out heavily. The boys were already there, waiting for them in the front yard and standing among bulging bags of their own. Natsu noticed them after they'd stopped and grinned, unlatching the front gate and gesturing for them to step inside.

"Finally, you guys are here!" He joked, grinning.

The boys proceeded to help the girls lug their stuff inside, and they stored everything everyone had brought off to one side, against the wall of Natsu's house. A beautiful woman slender and tall with long, pale blue hair emerged from the house, smiling brightly as she looked around the group of teenagers.

"Hello, everyone," She said, her voice smooth and kind, "I'm Grandine, Natsu and Wendy's mother."

"Speaking of which," Natsu spoke up, "Where is Wendy? She said she'd help us out today..."

"Ah! I'm here, Natsu-nii!"

Wendy walked up the front path, a dark-haired boy trailing in her wake. He wore their school uniform, along with a yellow scarf hanging loosely around his neck. Wendy smiled at everyone, her blue ponytail blowing in the faint breeze. "Everyone, this is my friend Romeo Conbolt."

Romeo raised a hand in greeting, grinning nervously. "Hey. Wendy says you guys need some help and she asked me to come along."

Natsu raised an eyebrow, folding his arms and stepping closer to Romeo. He leaned forward towards the bewildered looking boy, "Tell me, Romeo...are you good enough for _my_ little sister?!"

"N-Natsu-nii!" Wendy stammered, her face turning a bright scarlet. "Y-You- You can't j-just ask things like that!"

"Hey, I just want to know who my little sister is dating!"He was whacked across the head with Wendy's school bag abruptly.

"We are NOT dating!" Wendy shrieked. The small girl had a surprising amount of strength, especially when it came to beating up morons like Natsu.

"Ok, you two..." Grandine's calm voice entered the fray, "I think it's time to calm down..."

"Ha!" Grey laughed, "Natsu, you never said your little sister could beat you up!"

"She can not! Shut up, stripper!"

"Natsu! Don't talk like that!"

"Mooom, stop interfering!"

"Don't you give me cheek, young man!"

"Uh...um..." Lucy looked on, a confused expression on her face.

Well...that escelated quickly.

* * *

When the yelling finally stopped and Natsu had been subdued by Grandine, they started to organise themselves.

"Ok, Lucy," Grey began, "Tell us what to do."

"You want me...to be in charge?"

"Well, it was your idea, wasn't it, Lu-chan?" Levy piped up.

"Yeah, Blondie-" Gajeel received a death glare- "I mean, Lucy, ahaha, um, yeah, it was your idea."

"Uh..ok..." Lucy began nervously, "Um, yeah...Natsu, do you have any tables anywhere?"

"Yeah, in the garage. What do you want me to do?"

"Ok, you and one of the other guys, could you take them out and set them up in your front yard or out on the street in front of your house?"

"Yeah, sure," Natsu walked over to the garage door and leaned down to pull it up, "Here, one of you guys help me with this?" He turned to his friends expectantly.

"Helping is MAN!" Elfman said loudly, stepping forward straight away. He and Natsu began to pull fold-up tables out from the garage, carrying them around the front to set them up.

"Ok," Lucy spoke again, getting more into the flow of things. She put her hand on her hip and pointed the other hand towards some of the bags, "Could the rest of you start going through these bags and organising them into different groups, so maybe toys, kitchenware, clothes, stuff like that? Then take them out front and we can set them up on table?"

A "Yeah!" resounded loudly and everyone got to work right away. Within a few minutes, the large bags were spilled over the floor and people were on their knees, sorting through them. Lucy knelt down to help Levy out with one and after a while, the things were all slowly but surely piling up into neat stacks. There were piles of assorted clothes, things that people weren't interested in anymore or had long out grown, or clothes from when they were all little, some of Wendy's baby clothes, second-hand books, plates and mugs, old toys, dolls and teddies and stuffed animals, bracelets, watches, necklaces...the list went on, piling up steadily.

"Ah! Look at this!" Juvia giggled and held up a small child's t-shirt. It was navy blue and had a cute dinosaur motif on the front.

"Grey-sama, isn't the stuff that you took with you?"

"G-gah! N-no, give me that!" Grey snatched it out of her hands, his face a hot, bright red. He clasped the t-shirt behind his back, avoiding Juvia's gaze.

She giggled again, "But Grey-sama, it's so cute!"

"Shut up! I-it is not! I don't do cute!"

Natsu snatched the shirt from Grey's clasped hands when he wasn't looking and held it up. He snorted, amused, and started to laugh. "Grey...you actually used to wear this stuff?"

"You shut it, Natsu! I've seen pictures of what you used to wear when you were a little kid!"

Natsu laughed again. "Well, it wasn't as embarassing as this."

Grey took it back of him, scowling fiercely as he held it tightly in his hand. "Oh, shut it, Natsu. I wasn't even going to give it away anyway."

"Oh yeah, well why not?"

Grey hesitated, took a deep breath, as if he needed to calm himself, and spoke. "Because...because my mom was the one who got it for me when I was a little kid."

They all fell silent. It was awkward for a few moments, no-one knowing quite what to say at this. Grey had mentioned his parents maybe once or twice in the time he'd known them. The only person he'd been really open with was Juvia, but of course, it was only between them. This was unusual for him.

Natsu finally spoke up, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder awkwardly. "Hey, man, I'm sorry. I was being stupid. Forget about it."

Grey half-smiled, "It's fine, Natsu. Doesn't matter." A few more minutes of standing around in awkward silence until Loke finally spoke up, "Um, shouldn't we keep going?"

"Yes, yes, he's right," Erza said briskly, taking her usual air of leadership, "We should get back to work." She brushed her scarlet hair behind her ear and knelt down, Jellal following her soon after as they resumed sorting the piles of things.

After the better part of an hour, they had successfully managed to sort everything that everyone had brought with them. Natsu and Elfman had long sinced finished setting up tables in front and had come back earlier, and between the thirteen of them, that including Romeo and Wendy, they finished and now were starting to bring them out front to set everything up. There were several tables arranged in a half-square in Natsu's front yard. They were covered in table cloth's Grandine had given to them earlier, when everyone had gotten here first. Lucy seized an pile of clothes in her arms, laying them out on one of the tables to demonstrate what she had in mind, one pile of stuff to each table, possibly two if there wasn't enough space.

"Like this, guys, ok?" She said, arranging them neatly in folded piles. "They've got to look presentable enough that people will take a second look."

"Got it."

Going back and forth to their previously-organised piles at a steady pace, they hand most of it set up as neatly as possible pretty soon. Some of the tables were divided into two sections and others, when there was more stuff, had one single table to itself.

"Ok, everyone man a table. You might need a partner, I think." Lucy said thoughtfully. She paused to tie her blonde hair back in a quick ponytail.

"Hey, Lucy, want to go with me?" Natsu asked.

"Huh? Um, y-yeah, sure." Lucy cursed herself inwardly for stuttering as her stomach fluttered. Why was she so nervous like this when Natsu spoke to her? It really frustrated her, but she gave him a smile as she followed him to one of the tables as they took a seat behind them.

"Um, G-Gajeel..." Levy began nervously, suddenly taking enormous interest in her shoes, "Um, do you want to help me with one of the tables? You don't have to, I just, I thought I'd ask..." She trailed off, looking up at him through her blue hair expectantly. Luckily for Gajeel, the little blue-haired girl was mostly staring at the ground, because Gajeel was blushing again. God damn it! She made him act so freakin' girly!

"Yeah, sure thing, shorty." He grinned, placing a hand on top of her head.

"Stop calling me short..."

They headed over to their own table.

"Romeo-chan," Wendy smiled, taking his hand, "You come with me, ne?"

"Yeah, sure Wendy..." He grinned stupidly as she dragged him off.

"Juvia?"

"Yes, Grey-sama?"

"...Go with me?"

"...O-of c-course! Yes!" She nodded profusely.

"Jellal, I'll need some help over here."

"Yeah, Erza, sure...I'd be happy to...!" Another dumb grin, which was strange for Jellal, who was usually so composed.

"Onee-chan, come with me!" Elfman said.

"Anything for my little brother." Mira smiled, patting Elfman on top of his head although she had to stand on tiptoe to do so. Not so little brother, really.

"...Then who do I go with?" Loke asked, frowning as he pushed his glasses up his nose. He glared over in Natsu's direction- damn pink-haired idiot had beat him to asking Lucy!

"Oh, sorry Loke," Lucy said sympathetically, pointing to the final table, "It looks like you're on your own..."

Loke went on the walk of shame, a dejected expression on his face, and took his seat.

"Damn pink-haired idiots..."

"You say something, Loke?"

"What? Oh, no, not a thing..."

* * *

People are always attracted to cheap buys and bargains, so of course, they attracted attention. It was only a little at first, the little kid's clothes catching the eye of mother's passing by and such, old ladies looking at the plates with flower prints and mugs with funny quotes. Then the neighbourhood kids came by, looking at toys and board games, running back home to borrow a couple yen of their parents to buy something. One boy bought up three fluffy stuffed animals for his younger sister's birthday the next week. It was uncomfortable working underneath the sweltering heat, even in the late afternoon, but they persevered on, their determination spurring them on. A steady stream of people were coming by now and they were running out of stuff to sell on some tables. After a few hours Grandine came out with a few trays of iced lemonade for them and a few plates of biscuits. They nibbled them as they worked, grateful for something to drink and something to eat. A middle-aged man with jaw-length dark hair and a silver ring in his ear, and dark stubble across his jaw browsed for a while before he picked up a CD and grinned widely.

"I've been looking for this for the longest time!" He exclaimed.

"Oh, that?" Natsu took a look at it, "That's just one of my dad's old CD's he decided to get rid of...You want it? It's only 400 yen."

"I'll give you 1000 yen for it, young man!"

"Wha- are you serious?" Natsu asked incredulously, "Is it worth that?"

"Ah, you need the money, don't you? And I've really wanted this for a long time, so I'm willing to pay it."

The pink-haired boy grinned and his face lit up. "Thanks, mister! Here, here's a bag..." He put it in a plastic bag for him and the man handed over his money, smiling fondly.

"Spend that on a date between you two." He winked, gesturing to him and Lucy, and walked away, whistling cheerily and swinging his bag.

"D-date...?" Lucy's stomach felt like thousands of butterflies and her face felt suddenly much warmer.

"Forget about it, he was probably just kidding..." Natsu glanced away, avoiding her gaze and clasping a hand over his face so she couldn't see him blushing. That was embarassing.

More and more was sold, everything slowly running out. Several tables had been stored away again now that all it's contents had been sold. The stream of people was slowing down now. It was getting later, evening time, and most people were heading home by this time. But the important thing was that they had sold almost everything that all their friends had brought with them to sell. After Levy and Gajeel had served a couple more people, it was clear that buisness was done with for the day. But it didn't matter, because look at how much they'd earned! Only a few small things remained that people hadn't bought. Everyone started to clean up, Grey and Loke stowing the rest of the tables back in the garage as Natsu started to put the last remaining things from their garage sale into a smaller bag. He paused as he was about to put a hair clip in the bag, looking at it thoughtfully, resting in the palm of his hand. It was something that must've belonged to one of the girls before, shaped like a bright little pink flower with a silvery clip part.

"Hey, Lucy," He said, "Come here a sec, will ya?"

"Yeah, what is it, Natsu?" She turned to face him. Natsu reached a hand forward tentatively, brushing her hair back from her face. Lucy tensed at his sudden touch, nervous- but his fingers were warm against her skin. It felt nice. He raised his other hand with the clip and slid it into her hair, clipping it back neatly.

"I thought this would suit you." He smiled, dropping his hand back to his side.

Lucy raised her own hand, brushing her fingers against the clip lightly. She smiled softly.

"Yeah. Thanks, Natsu, that was sweet."

Her heart fluttered in her chest. There it went again, beating so fast, whenever Natsu did something like this...

And she realised.

Lucy looked away, trying to stop the heat in her cheeks. She took a deep breath, trying to calm the colour she knew was spreading across her face. Oh, Mavis, how could she not have realised her own feelings before now?

How could she have been so stupid, and blind?

Lucy...

Lucy was in love with Natsu.

* * *

**A/N: Phew! It's not like it took me like 3 days to type out this chapter, nope, ahaha... **

**Awh, I hoped you liked it! It was so much fun to write this, especially the little NaLu moment at the end there where Lucy FINALLY fully acknowledges her feelings. Did I handle it well? Remember, your opinions are valued!** **Also, I should be starting a new story up soon, along with the one I just posted, and maybe something for a different anime too as I write A LOT of Fairy Tail Fanfictions, haha...**

**Ok, well, I don't think I have anything important to say! Remember, reviews are love!**

**Until next time! ^-^**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: A much quicker update this time. ^-^ Lucy finally realised her feelings and I have the next few things planned out, so hopefully no large gaps between updates. Tanabata festival next, hooray! Ever since I watched The Melancholy Of Haruhi Suzumiya I've always been fascinated by the story of Tanabata. Also, for some reason I don't seem to be getting email notifications for anyone's reviews or anything anymore, just telling you guys in case it causes any trouble. :) **

**Ok! Chapter 13!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail!**

* * *

The sharp, loud tone echoed around the kitchen, making Lucy jump and nearly drop her bowl of cereal. It was unusual for someone to call her this early, and before school, too. The blonde girl placed her bowl down on the table and picked up her phone, glancing at the screen to see who it was.

Natsu.

Her stomach lurched and her heart fluttered even at the thought of speaking to him. She hadn't really spoken to him properly since Wednesday, and today was Friday morning. She was too busy freaking out over the realisation she had come to. Her feelings were all muddled up in her head and it was awful being so confused and slightly delirious at the same time. She pressed the button on her phone and held it up to her ear gingerly.

"Um...hello?"

"20,000!" An excited voice practically yelled down the phone at her.

"Natsu...what?"

"There's 20,000 freakin' yen here!"

"Where, exactly?" She heard him take a breath through the phone and continue speaking,

"The garage sale! Lucy, we made 20,000 yen!"

"20,000-You- you're kidding!" A wide smile stretched across Lucy's face. "We really made that much?"

"It's all here! Me and Wendy just finished counting it!"

"Natsu, that's so awesome!"

"Lucy, I couldn't have done this without you. We have to tell the others! We have to celebrate this!"

"Uh, ok-"

She barely got a word in as he began speaking rapidly yet again, "Meet me outside my house on your way to school! Wendy and I will walk with you, and we can tell our friends before class starts!"

Lucy smiled to herself. Natsu sounded like an excited little kid, and she found it quite endearing.

"Yeah, Natsu. I'll see you then."

"Yeah, Lucy. See ya!"

She heard the dull click on the other end and put her phone back down, sitting down at the table and stirring her cereal around in her bowl. She rested her chin in her hand and sighed, staring pensively into space.

Oh Mavis, she was so in love with him.

Natsu and Wendy arrived at the gate approximately 3.7 seconds after Lucy had stopped in front of it. She barely had time to register their appearance before she was thrown backwards by something little, but strong. Wendy had thrown herself at Lucy in a hug, shaking with laughter.

"Lucy-senpai! Thank you for helping Natsu-nii!"

Lucy took a second to regain her breath, hugging the small girl back and smiling fondly.

"You're welcome, Wendy."

"Ok, Wendy, don't suffocate Lucy before we've even gotten to school."

Wendy released her and Lucy was suddenly looking into the wide onyx eyes belonging to Natsu.

Damn it, Lucy, don't blush!

"Hey, Natsu." She said, half-smiling.

"Hey, Lucy."

The two just stood looking at eachother in silence for what felt like an eternity until Wendy finally spoke again.

"Um, shouldn't we get moving?"

"Oh, yeah, right," Natsu said quickly, brushing his pink hair off his face awkwardly. "Come on, you guys."

The three of them started to walk towards the direction of school.

"So...we really earned that much money?" Lucy asked again, turning to face the two siblings.

"Yep," Wendy answered, smiling as if her face would split in two, "We counted every bit of it this morning and now it's all in a safe place. You guys just need 15,000 more, now!"

"You make it sound like it's easy." Natsu joked, ruffling her hair. She swatted his hand away, laughing.

Lucy looked on as the two of them joked together, smiling sadly at their banter. She'd always wanted a younger sister like Wendy. She'd always wanted any siblings, really. It was lonely growing up in the big house all by herself, with her dad being away at work all the time.

The three of them reached the school building and seperated to go to their shoe lockers, putting on their indoor shoes. Wendy said a quick goodbye and headed off to her own class as Lucy strode through the halls to meet Natsu in theirs. He had said that he'd go gather up the rest of their friends, so all she had to do was wait. Grey was already in there, and the two of them made small talk as they waited for their friends.

"So, um..." Grey began awkwardly, clasping his hands behind his head. "About your friend Juvia...?"

Lucy giggled, "You like her, don't you?"

"Ssshh!" Grey gestured frantically, "Keep your voice down, would ya? I never said that, ok?! I was just asking about her. We're friends."

"Yeah, sure, Grey..."

Before he could retort with anything else, the the classroom door had burst open and the 9 other friends were standing just outside the classroom door, making enough noise to wake the dead.

This was a time for celebration, after all.

It was only a few seconds before Lucy and Grey were dragged into the muddle of yelling and cheering. Levy, Erza, Juvia and Mira tried to hug Lucy all at once, cheering loudly and laughing. The guys were slapping eachother on the shoulders and grinning (Because that's what guys do, Lucy guessed).

"Ok, ok!" Natsu roared over the din, trying to make everyone be quiet for a moment. Silence fell in the hall as the cheering ceased and everyone turned to face him, ecstatic smiles still lingering on their faces.

"Ok," Natsu grinned, "What do you say we celebrate later, after school?"

A resounding cheer, then Erza speaking up, "Well, what do you propose we do?"

"Today's July 7th, right? Tanabata! There's a festival on in town later. It'll be fun!"

"Sounds great, Natsu!" They chorused, grinning.

"Meet you guys there at 7 this evening, ok?"

"Lu-chan," Levy turned to her blonde friend, "You, Juvia, Erza and Mira should come to my house after school. We can get ready there."

Lucy smiled at her petite little friend, "Yeah, Levy, sounds good."

Alzack-sensei appeared around the corner, walking towards his classroom.

"I see you guys are celebrating something, but class is about to begin...All of you might want to think about getting to class."

"Yes, sensei."

The group disbanded, holding their heads high and smiling at their accomplishments.

* * *

Lucy had never been more relieved in her life when the school bell rang at four o'clock that afternoon. She shot out of her seat instantly and shoved all of her stuff in her bag, heading to the shoe lockers to switch to her outdoor shoes as quick as she could. She waited impatiently for her friends to meet her outside.

"Gee, Lu-chan," Levy giggled after they had finally showed up, "You sure are impatient."

"I can't help it," Lucy laughed, "I can't wait to get out of my uniform, and that last lesson was so boring, and...and I'm excited for later."

"Excited to spend time with Natsuuu, you mean!" Mira nudged her friend and giggled deviously.

"M-Mira!" Lucy stammered, blushing. (Oh Mavis, she was doing an awful lot of blushing these days...)

"It's true, isn't it?" Juvia piped up. One less love rival for Grey-sama, hehehe...

"It's not- I don't- oh, shut up!" Lucy shrieked. Her face now resembled the colour of a tomato. Her friends laughed at her embarassment, shaking their heads as if they knew what she was really thinking. Lucy knew they were bound to tease her, but...

She wasn't too obvious about her feelings, was she?

She shook her head to herself, trying to forget her thoughts. It was just her friends teasing her and messing with her. Nothing more.

The five girls reached Levy's house after about a 15 minute walk from school. It was now 4.25, considering that Lucy had waited ten minutes for them to come out of school. They weren't meeting Natsu and the others until seven, so they had plenty of time.

"You can leave your bags here and run home real quick to get something to change into, if you want? My mom will cook some food for us before we go, of course."

"Yeah, I can't wait to get out of my school uniform." Lucy said. "Hmm...Do you think we should wear kimonos?"

Erza shrugged, "Well, I'm going to. I don't know about you guys."

"I think I will too." Levy piped up.

"Yeah, I am." Mira smiled.

"Me too!" Juvia said.

"OK...guess I'm going to get mine, then." Lucy waved as she set off down the path towards her own house at a brisk pace. She hurried into the front door and rushed up the grand staircase into her own room, digging in her closet for her kimono and some shoes, and maybe something to hold her hair up. She eventually emerged with the kimono draped over one arm, her shoes in one hand, a hair tie and the hair clip Natsu had given her the other day. She looked down at it in her hand for a minute, butterflies in her stomach at the thought. She put everything in a little shoulder bag neatly and rushed back downstairs and out the door, going back to Levy's house as quickly as she could. When she had returned, said a quick hello to Levy's mother and headed upstairs, the rest of the girls were already in Levy's room waiting for her.

"Girls!" Levy's mother called up the stairs, "Food's ready!"

They trundled downstairs, giggling and talking as they went into the kitchen and took a seat at the table. Slices of pizza and fries were placed in front of them as they salivated at the delicious food, thanking Levy's mom and digging in immediately. When they were done eating, it was just past five o'clock. They simply lounged around for a while, killing time before they had to start getting ready. They sat outside and simpy chatted idly for a while, stretching out on the grass like cats in the heat.

"Hm, it's six o'clock now." Erza informed them, glancing at her watch. "We should start getting ready now."

The five girls stood up and walked back into the house, going upstairs and picking up their bags of stuff. Erza, Mira and Juvia stayed in Levy's room to get changed, and Levy and Lucy went into the bathroom. Lucy pulled off her uniform and stuffed it into her bag, slipping the kimono on over her head. Her's was made of pale blue material and had pink sleeves and a sash, with a pink cherry blossoms pattern all over it. It had been her mom's and Lucy loved getting the chance to wear it. She brushed out her blonde tresses carefully and twisted her hair into a high ponytail, sliding the flower clip into her hair and clipping a few strands in the front neatly.

"Ah, Lu-chan! You look so pretty!"

She turned to face Levy, looking cute in an orange kimono with a yellow semi-circles pattern arcing across her shoulders and the hem of the garment. The yellow headband she usually wore was threaded through her hair.

"Thanks, Levy. So do you."

"Shall we go, then?"

The two girls stepped out to meet their friends who looked equally gorgeous in their festival outfits. They went back downstairs and out the door, bidding Levy's mom goodbye.

"Have fun, girls! You all look gorgeous!" She called, waving as they headed down the garden path. It only took them a short time to walk to the festival located in the park down the street. Already it was alive with activity, children running around waving toys and prizes they'd won, couples strolling leisurely through as they held hands, brightly-lit stalls, the savoury smell of festival foods in the air. They looked around for a minute, marvelling at how amazing everything looked, when they spotted the guys waving them over. The six of them were all out of their school uniforms and now wearing clean jeans and t-shirts, grinning like they always did.

"Hey, Lucy," Natsu greeted, looking her up and down approvingly. "You look great. I like the kimono." He smiled casually.

"Th-thanks, Natsu." Lucy smiled nervously.

_Damn it! You stammered again! _She cursed herself inwardly.

"Should we start some stuff, then? Um, Lucy?"

"Wh-what? Oh, yeah, sorry." She hurried after her friends as they began walking around, pointing out everything there was to do. They were sucked into the colourful atmosphere of the festival pretty soon. Before long, they were playing games and trying to win prizes. Grey had come away from one stall after winning successfully, grinning as he brandished his trophy, a large stuffed bear.

"Here," He murmured, handing it to Juvia. "You take it." He smiled at her endearingly.

"Oh.." Juvia looked down as she swallowed, trying not to blush, and looked up at him again, a sweet smile adorning her face. "Thank you, Grey-sama. It's so cute!"

"Don't mention it."

"And he calls me lover boy..." Natsu muttered, grinning to himself. Looks like Grey was smitten.

They continued walking around the festival, stepping around excited children tentatively as they rushed around, loud and quick. They were buying festival food from every stall, digging into taiyaki and dumplings. After a while, people started heading towards one end of the park. Obviously something was happening down there soon.

"I'll go see what's going on." Loke offered. He returned a few moments later, "They're starting a fireworks display in a few minutes."

"Let's go, then?" Jellal inquired, looking at Erza. Somehow, at sometime during the evening, they had held on to eachother's hand and it didn't look like they were letting go anytime soon.

"Yeah, let's."

The eleven of them followed the thriving crowds towards the end of the park. It was quieter down this end, clusters of trees here and there. Dappled moonlight shone through the branches, casting shadows along the ground. They found a place on the grass to sit and waited for a few minutes until the first few fireworks whistled and exploded into the sky. Pink, blue and red stars burst high up in the sky, the colours bright and beautiful. There went another one, fizzing and sparking for a few moments before it dissolved into the air. On and on it went as they craned their necks, eyes shining and mouths wide open in smiles at the beatiful display.

Lucy loved fireworks.

Music suddenly started playing somewhere and after a few hesitant minutes, couples started pairing off to dance. They moved slowly around the grass with eachother, arms wrapped around eachother as they smiled. Lucy watched them for a while before something was obscuring her view. Natsu was standing in front of her, a hand extended.

"Hey, Lucy...dance with me?"

Her eyes widened and she brushed her hair behind her ear nervously, smiling and taking his hand.

"S..sure, Natsu..."

He pulled her to her feet and they moved a little away. Lucy placed her hands on his shoulders tentatively and she felt his hands resting on her waist. She almost shivered at his touch. They moved around for a while in a rhythmic pattern, breathing deeply.

"Lucy," Natsu began, looking down at her, staring into her brown eyes with hs onyx ones. "Lucy, I need to tell you something."

"Yeah? What is it, Natsu?"

He took a deep breath and continued, "It's just- I, um...How do I say this..."

Lucy really hoped he couldn't hear her heart pounding away in her chest.

"Lucy, I just, I really want to thank you. But I can't think of the right words."

She smiled up at him, "Natsu, it's ok-"

"No, it's not." He was suddenly closer to her than he was before. "Lucy,you have no idea how much you helping me out means to me. Without you, I never would've earned any money or anything..." He trailed off, moving closer still.

Oh Mavis, he was close-

Their faces were centimetres apart-

Was he really going to-?

"Hey, you two! We're going to get going now!"

The two of them sprang apart suddenly, letting go of eachother. Lucy sighed. She missed his touch already.

"...Suppose we should go now." Natsu murmured, avoiding her gaze.

"Yeah."

The two walked over to rejoin their group of friends. Everyone was disbanding now, the festival winding down. It was around 9.30 now.

"I'll walk home with you, if you want?" Natsu suggested as Lucy started to take her leave.

She shook her head, "No, it's alright. I won't keep you. Goodnight, Natsu."

"Yeah. Night, Lucy."

She started to head towards the direction of her house. She pressed a hand to her chest, and indeed she could feel her heartbeat, beating wildly underneath her fingertips. She hadn't quite calmed down from that little moment with Natsu.

"Lucy? Is that you?"

A familiar voice suddenly sounded out of nowhere and a feeling of dread spread through the blonde girl. She turned slowly, catching sight of the person who had called her name, and sighed deeply.

"...Hello, Isamu." She said curtly, starting to walk again. "I really must be going now. Night."

"Aw, why can't you stay a while?" He smirked, following her.

"Isamu, leave me alone." She growled, turning to face him. He was leaning towards her, but this time she knew what was coming. She threw her hands up in front of her face, slamming them into his.

"Isamu!" She shrieked, pushing him back. "Would you just GO AWAY!"

"Come on, Lucy," He said again, regaining his composure. This guy really didn't know when to give up. "Just trying to have a little fun..." He reached towards her, grabbing onto her sleeve roughly. Lucy tried to wrench herself from his grasp.

"Get away from me, you creep!" She heard a ripping noise and looked down, horrified as she saw what he'd done-

The sleeve of her kimono, her mom's kimono was torn.

"Isamu-you-you bastard!" She snarled. You'd think he'd have taken the hint by now, but he was still trying to take hold of her. He seized her wrist this time roughly-

A blur suddenly appeared, too fast for Lucy to see who it was, and Isamu was shoved backwards roughly.

"N-Natsu?"

The pink-haired boy was standing in front of her, scowling ferociously.

"I come to see if I can walk you home anyway because it's dark," He says, glaring at Isamu, "And it's a good thing, with creeps like this around."

"Dragneel." Isamu said coldly.

"Tanaka," Natsu nodded in his direction, "Didn't you learn your lesson the last time I beat you in a fight?"

"That was just luck, Dragneel." Isamu snarled, raising his fists, "Let's see if you can defend yourself now."

"This is what you get for harassing Lucy, you bastard!"

The two boys threw punches at eachother roughly. Natsu's collided with Isamu's cheek, sending him reeling backwards. Isamu stumbled forward again and punched Natsu right in the stomach, as hard as he could. Natsu gasped and staggered backwards, gasping. Isamu lunged forward again, hitting him again, and again.

"Stop it, stop it, you're hurting him!" Lucy yelled, covering her face with her hands. She couldn't watch this.

"Bastard!"

She heard Natsu's voice and dared to peek through her fingers. He had retaliated, pushing Isamu back and landing a few hits of his own. He hooked his foot around Isamu's ankle and sent him crashing to the ground.

"You'll pay for this, Dragneel!" The other boy snarled, scrambling to his feet. He started to run away, accepting his defeat grudgingly. "Just wait!"

Natsu stood in front of Lucy, panting heavily and glaring in Isamu's direction. Lucy reached a hand towards him, placing it on his shoulder.

"Natsu..."

He turned to face her. His face was already bruised, on his cheek and along his jaw, and both his lip and above his eyebrow were bleeding.

"You ok, Lucy?"

She shook her head incredulously, "I think I should be the one asking you that."

He smiled at her weakly and then winced. "I'll be fine. I'm just glad I scared off that creep."

"Thank you, Natsu. You really saved me there. Now...I think you should come back to my house."

He was about to protest but she frowned at him pointedly. He sighed, accepting his defeat, "Yeah, ok."

They walked the remaining distance back to Lucy's house and she unlocked the door, leading him into the kitchen. She had him sit on one of the chairs and started looking around for the first-aid kit, eventually finding it buried in a drawer. They didn't use it that often, so it was hard to find. Lucy opened it up and took out some salve and some bandages, starting to dab it onto his face gently. He squirmed against her touch,

"Hey! That stings!"

"Natsu," She said, amused, "You just took a beating. I'm sure you can handle a little salve." She paused, continuing what she was doing, and then spoke again, "Natsu...why did you do that for me?"

"Well..'cause you're my friend, right? And I couldn't stand you being harassed like that." A pause, and Lucy swore she saw him blush a little. "And, well..."

"What is it?"

"Lucy...I did it because...I really...I..."

"Ye-?" Lucy had no time to ask him when he suddenly pressed his lips against hers.

Lucy's eyes widened before she kissed him back, her eyes closing. She placed a hand on his bruised face gently, her fingers curling against his cheek. His lips were warm and he tasted of salt and faintly of blood.

Finally, they broke apart, and Natsu rested his forehead against hers.

"...I'm in love with you." He finished his previous sentence.

Lucy couldn't contain the smile that adorned her features as she leaned forward again and pressed her lips against his cheek. "I'm in love with you, too."

"Really?"

"Really."

Lucy finished putting bandages on his face, and then they sat in comfortable silence. They stayed sitting for a while, Lucy leaning her head against his shoulder, until he finally spoke up again.

"It's getting late."

"...Yeah."

"I should go."

"Yeah, I guess..."

The two of them stood up and Lucy opened up the front door for him. He stepped outside and hesiated as he was halfway down the front steps, turning to look at her with an adorably nervous smile on his face.

"...See you tomorrow, Lucy?"

"Yeah, Natsu. Goodnight."

She waved before closing the door and leaning against it, sighing happily.

Her heart was beating faster than it ever had before, and her lips still tasted faintly like blood.

* * *

**A/N: Phew! That was SUCH a long chapter, probably the longest one yet, hehe. Awh, this was SO much fun to write! I FINALLY had them kiss! Did I make you wait too long, hmmm? Anyway, remember, reviews are love! **

**Until next time! ^-^**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Hey guys! I'm glad you liked the last chapter. I was actually really glad to have Natsu and Lucy kiss because I had it planned for AGES, so I hope the last chapter wasn't too rushed. Feel free to tell me so, anyway! It seems like it's all going to be a happy ending now, but as the author it's my job to mix things up...mwahahahahaha...**

**Haha, anyway, next chapter! Sorry it took so long to update! Oh, and don't worry, I'll let Natsu and Lucy have a nice, easy time before the drama starts. ^-^**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.**

* * *

Natsu was slumped over the couch lazily, the remote in his hand, but not quite paying attention to the programme on TV. His mind kept wandering over to Lucy and he would get this ridiculous, goofy grin on his face everytime he thought about her. His heart had been beating rapidly the moment he'd leaned in to kiss her, but he had to take a chance and it turned out to be absoloutely worth it-

Because Lucy loved him too.

He sighed happily, shifting his position further down on the couch. He had been so scared when he'd confessed to her, so afraid that she'd reject him completely and that their friendship would never be the same again, but when that Isamu creep had showed up and he'd been so mad, he started to think about how she could just as easily fall in love with someone else as he'd fallen in love with her, and that scared him. So he did it, he just came outright and said it- or rather, kissed her first and then said it- but the point was, it was a good decision and he was really happy he'd done it. He was blissfully lost in his deliriously happy thoughts when a door slammed open and Wendy stormed into the room, standing in front of the TV and obscuring Natsu's view of it. She glared down at him, looking as if she was about to yell, or cry, or both.

"Natsu-nii!" She shrieked. He guessed she had gone with the option of yelling.

"Um...yes? Did I do something wrong?" He sat up properly, looking at her with a confused expression on his face.

"Don't play stupid with me, Natsu! Why didn't you tell me?"

"...Tell you what?"

"You and Lucy-senpai! You got together!"

"Ah..." Natsu's mouth was now hanging open and he was at a loss for words. Instead, a pink blush was flooding his cheeks. "Wendy...how did you...who told you?"

"Lucy told me herself!"

"Voluntarily?"

"Well...not exactly..."

"Wendy! What did you do?!"

"Look, that's not important. The point is, YOU didn't tell me that you'd gotten together! I should be informed when my OTP are ofificially in a relationship!"

"...What?"

"My OTP! NaLu! Agh, never mind...But anyway-" She hit him on the head sharply, "That's what you get for not telling me!" She turned on her heel and flounced away, leaving Natsu rubbing his head and grumbling. She watched way too much anime...

Maybe he should text Lucy, though. After all, they hadn't gone on a date yet...

* * *

Lucy's mobile phone buzzed just as she was just finishing up breakfast. She left her bowl next to the sink and fished it out of her jacket pocket where she'd left it. She glanced at the screen as the little message icon popped up, seeing it was Natsu. Lucy smiled softly to herself. She really, really liked Natsu. More thank liked- she really thought she was in love with him. She opened up the message and read over it.

Natsu: Hey Lucy, I was wonderin- do u um want 2 go out l8er 2day?

She smiled to herself again- there was an endearing nervousness to his words, even if they were just in a simple text message. She started a reply.

Lucy: Yeh Natsu, sounds good. What do u have in mind?

A reply buzzed in a few moments later.

Natsu: How does the beach sound? its real warm out. it'll be fun!

A wide smile spread across Lucy's face and she typed a reply quickly.

Lucy: Yeah, sounds perfect. :) what time?

Natsu: About 2? I'll come over

Lucy: Yeah, c u soon xxx

Lucy, still wearing a broad smile, placed her phone back on the table top and ran upstairs to get ready.

* * *

Natsu finally heaved himself up off the couch and walked through to the kitchen to check the time. He glanced at the clock on the wall-12.30. Perfect. He would get ready and then hang around for a while before he started heading over to Lucy's house, at about 15 minutes to 2. Natsu ascended the stairs and went into the bathroom to take a shower. He turned on the water, pulled his pyjamas off and stepped under the water. He let it trickle over his lythe frame as he spent a few minutes washing himself, turning it off again and stepping out after a few minutes. He took a towel off the rail and towelled himself dry quickly, wrapping it around his waist. Natsu stepped out into the hall and down a few doors to his own room, opening the door and stepping into the dark interior. His blankets were strewn around his bed how he had left it earlier when he got up. He pulled open his curtains, letting broad daylight stream into the room, then turned back to his wardrobe to find some clothes. After a minute or two he eventually decided on a simple pair of shorts and a t-shirt, since they were going to the beach. He pulled on a white and red baseball t-shirt and denim shorts, with red swim shorts on underneath. Then he laced up red sneakers and packed a backpack with his phone, wallet, a towel, a hoodie (although he didn't know if he'd need it), and a blanket for them to sit on. Natsu went back into the bathroom to brush his teeth and drag a comb through his hair. Then, he descended the stairs again.

"Hey, Wendy," He called up the stairs, "Tell mom when she gets back that I went out, ok?"

"Out with Lucy?" Wendy appeared at the top of the stairs, grinning mischeviously down at her older brother.

"Y-Yeah..." Natsu stammered, "Just tell her, ok?"

"Whatever you want, Natsu-nii..."

He glanced at the clock once more- 1.10pm. Just a little longer until he got to see Lucy again.

* * *

Lucy took a while to take a quick shower and brush her blonde tresses out carefully, tying it back in a ponytail and sliding the flower-shaped clip into her hair to clip a few loose strands back neatly. She had put on a simple, sky blue beach dress with a pink bikini on underneath, patterned with flowers, and paired it with a darker blue pair of strappy sandals. She'd packed her bag with a towel, phone, her keys and sunglasses. It was just past 1.30pm now- not long until Natsu got here. Her heart fluttered involuntarily and she smiled nervously to herself. Why was she even nervous to see him, anyway? Maybe 'cause they were sort of, kind of, like, toge...(Come on Lucy, say it!) t-toge- (Halfway there!) Together! She supposed that they were pretty much together now. It made her feel all fluttery and shy, but at the same time it made her really happy. She was so lost in these thoughts it took her a minute to realise that the doorbell had rung. It was just about 2 o'clock- that had to be Natsu! She headed to the door and opened it up to greet him, a wide smile on her face. He was standing on her front steps, a bashful smile on his face and his hands in his pockets. He brushed a hand through his hair nervously, looking at her as he smiled.

"Hey, Lucy," He said, grinning at her, "You look...you look really cute. Ready to go?"

"Ah," She blushed at the compliment, "Y-yeah...Thanks, Natsu." She stepped outside and closed the door behind her, locking it and putting the keys back in her bag. The two of them descended the steps, their hands brushing together as they moved. Lucy side-stepped nervously as if an electric shock had passed through her.

"Something wrong?" Natsu asked, a concerned expression on his face.

"Yeah, yeah," She brushed off his concern quickly, "I'm fine." She moved closer to him again, breathing deeply to try and calm her beating heart.

After a few moments, Natsu reached tentatively towards her, hesitant, and then entwined his fingers with hers. Lucy inhaled sharply, her cheeks flushing. She looked over at him and he just smiled casually in her direction, holding onto her hand a little tighter.

* * *

When they got to the beach, it was already full of people come to cool off under the blazing summer sun. They searched for a few minutes, eventually coming across a mostly vacant part of the beach. Natsu laid out the blanket he had brought so they could leave their stuff there.

"Want to go down to the water?" He asked eagerly.

Lucy grinned, "Yeah, it's so hot!"

Natsu began to tug off his shorts and t-shirt, leaving him in his red swim shorts, barefoot and bare-chested. He shoved his clothes into his bag and placed his shoes down next to their stuff.

"Ready?"

He turned to face Lucy, who had changed her clothes and tucked her now folded dress neatly into her bag. He had to turn away for a moment and cover his face with his hands, not wanting her to see the red blush creeping up his cheeks- He had not been prepared to see her in a bikini.

And...she looked really good.

He exhaled deeply, turning back around to face the blonde and trying to smile as if his face wasn't on fire.

Lucy raised an eyebrow, amused, and asked, "Everything ok?"

"Yeah, yeah," Natsu said hastily, "Let's go."

They began to stroll down to the vast expanse of clear blue water. About halfway there, Lucy suddenly grabbed onto Natsu's hand, tugging him down more quickly the rest of the way. She grinned as she pulled the two of them into the splashing waves, shrieking as she realised how cold it was. She let go of his hand and ran forward, stumbling in the water. Natsu grinned and ran after her, skidding to a halt next to her and losing his balance. She tried to grab onto him as he fell and he ended up dragging the two of them down. They shrieked as they plunged into the cold water, laughing and gasping. Lucy had somehow landed on top of Natsu, her hands curled on top of his chest.

"Sorry, Natsu." She said breathlessly, getting to her feet again quickly. She turned away from him for a moment, her eyes roving over the packed beach. Little children ran in and out of the water, giggling, or crouched on the warm sand, sculpting out sand castles carefully. Other lugged plastic buckets along the beach, filled with shells or other things they had collected. Young women lay on beach towels in their bikinis, sunbathing and flicking through magazines, or families all huddled together on picnic blankets, laughing and talking animatedly as they ate the food they had brought. Lucy was snapped out her thoughts when suddenly, an arc of freezing cold sea water was kicked at her from behind. She inhaled sharply and turned on her heel quickly to face the culprit- a mischeviously grinning Natsu.

"Sorry, Lucy," He shrugged apologetically, although the grin still lingered on his face, "I couldn't help it..."

She leaned forward and plunged her hands into the water, splashing him mercilessly.

"I couldn't either." She laughed as he emerged again, shaking his head like a dog. Then, seeing he was about to come after her, Lucy ran. She stumbled through the water giddily, glancing over her shoulder and giggling as he advanced. After a few moments she was suddenly seized around the waist by two arms. She shrieked as Natsu whirled her around, falling backwards into the ocean once again. He kept his arms around her as she turned her head to look up into Natsu's face. His hair was soaking wet and plastered to his forehead, dripping onto the top of her head. He was grinning down at her, his onyx eyes looking right into her brown ones.

And they kissed again.

It was a strange feeling, kissing while they were in the ocean and soaking wet, but nice. Lucy could taste the salt water off his lips and feel his arms still wrapped around her. They broke apart and she smiled, breathless and flushed. She didn't quite feel so cold anymore.

* * *

After a few hours spent in the water, their relentless and giddy splash battle was over. The two of them clambered out and starting walking back up the beach, their feet crusted with wet sand. They were shivering now after being in the water for so long, even if the sun was still baking hot and blazing down mercilessly. When they reached their stuff again, Natsu turned on his heel to go the other way.

"I'll be back in one sec, just want to go get something." He assured, sprinting off down the other end of the beach.

Lucy began to dry herself off, ducking her head to dry her hair as best she could. She slipped her dress back on and bent down to put her shoes back on, too. When she stood up straight again, Natsu was in front of her, two ice-creams clutched in his hand. He grinned at her, handing her one of the cones.

"Thanks!" She said cheerily as she accepted it gratefully- ice-cream was one of her favourites. There was silence between them for a few minutes as they took the time to enjoy them.

After Natsu had dried himself fully and changed back into his ordinary clothes, they packed up their stuff and started to walk back down the beach. It was late afternoon now and they had been there for a couple hours. Time to go home.

Lucy shivered in just her dress as they walked, still cold from being in the water so long, despite the summer heat.

"Here, wait a minute." Natsu said, stopping in the middle of the street and digging in his bag. He emerged a moment later and wrapped his hoodie around her shoulders. Guess he had needed it after all.

"Thank you." Lucy smiled gratefully. The hoodie was much too big for her, but it was warm and it was Natsu's. On the way, they stopped in a small coffee shop and ordered warm drinks. Lucy ordered sweet tea, taking the styrofoam cup and wrapping her frozen hands around it to keep them warm. She sipped the warm drink happily.

"What are you drinking?" She asked Natsu curiously as she watched him raise the cup to his lips.

"Here, try it." He handed her his own drink and she took a sip of it, coughing and spluttering as the bitter liquid slipped down her throat.

"Ugh!" She wrinkled her nose in distaste, handing it back to him. "How can you drink something so bitter?"

He chuckled at her, "It's black coffee. It's not that bad."

"I never thought you'd like bitter things, Natsu." She pointed out thoughtfully.

"Why? Because I'm so sweet?" Natsu teased.

"I wasn't going to say that!"

"Yeah, sure..."

"Was not." Lucy protested. She took his arm suddenly and leaned her head against his shoulder, "You are sweet, anyway."

There was a pause, then, "Lucy...why do you love me, of all people?" He sounded slightly nervous as he voiced his thoughts.

"Um...Honestly? I don't really know. I just did, along the way, I guess...why?" Lucy sounded concerned as she looked up at him.

"I was just thinking about it, is all." Natsu brushed off the worry in her voice. "You could've fallen for anyone in school...even that Isamu jerk...But you chose me."

"Well, of course I did." Lucy smiled brightly, "You're one of a kind, Natsu. Of course I love you."

* * *

**A/N: Finished! It took me long enough, haha...sorry for the wait, but I hoped you enjoyed it! It was a lot of fun to write and it was so much cuteness, haha! I have a bit of drama planned, just a heads up...because where would be the fun in a straight-away happy ending where everything works out perfectly? Mwahaha...**

**Anyway, reviews are love!**

**Until next time! ^-^**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Hello there, dear readers! ^-^**

**Let me start off by saying I am so, so sorry for taking SUCH a long time to update! Gomenasai, gomenasai! I just couldn't think of how to write it out at ALL...  
**

**I don't think I have much to say regarding this next chapter, except...THIS IS WHERE I MIX THINGS UP FOR YOU. **

**Hmmm...Let's just wait and see what happens, shall we?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail!**

* * *

Levy walked in through the doors of the café, looking around curiously for a moment to take in the scene. It was reasonably early in the afternoon and swelteringly hot outside, but the café was still clustered with teenagers, adults and children alike. Waitresses rushed around taking orders and delivering food, and every now and then a call could be heard from the kitchen, most likely by the chef. The petite blue-haired girl looked around for another moment before her eyes finally settled on a booth in the corner, and she walked over to take a seat. It'd be nice and private over here, and there were some things that she'd prefer weren't overheard. There were people from school here. She watched people passing by for a while, occassionally flicking through a magazine or two, before the door opened again and a blonde girl stepped inside. Levy waved Lucy over, smiling in greeting as she slid into the seat across from her friend.

"Took you long enough." Levy observed, still smiling as she passed the menu over to Lucy. The blue-haired girl threaded her fingers together and rested them under her chin, staring thoughtfully at her blonde friend across the table from her. After a minute or two, Lucy looked up, raising an eyebrow at Levy's intense stare.

"Um, Levy...is something wrong?"

"Hm? No, just wondering why you were late."

"Oh, well, I was just texting...someone."

Levy suddenly leapt up from the table, pointing an accusing finger at Lucy. "I knew it!" She practically yelled, earning some strange stares in her direction. Sheepishly, she lowered herself back into her seat to face her very confused friend, and whisper-shouted, "You were texting NATSU, weren't you?!"

Lucy's face turned a sudden, bright red colour, seeping across her cheeks.

"Wh-wh-" She spluttered, "H-How-Levy...H-how did you know that..?!"

"I can read minds."

Lucy gave her a pointed look, "Be serious."

The petite girl giggled suddenly, "I knew it, I knew it, I absoloutely knew it!~" She practically sang. "I called it from day one that you and Natsu would end up together!"

Lucy sighed in exasperation, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Ok, ok, you caught me...but how did you know that's who I was texting!"

Before even thinking about it, Levy blurted out, "Gajeel told me!"

Lucy's eyebrows raised even higher this time. "Gajeel, you say? Why ever would you be talking to him, hmm?" A satisfied grin (ever so slightly devious) had replaced the flustered look on her face. Levy went quiet, her mouth dropping open involuntarily.

"Um...uh..."

"Something you want to tell me?"

"I MAY have been talking to him...and stuff...Look, that's not the point! He says he saw you two at the beach yesterday!"

Lucy sighed again. "I suppose there's no need to hide it any longer, then...Natsu and I are, well, at least I think we are, together."

Levy squealed, "I'm telling you, Lu-chan, I said it from the very first day!"

"What about you and Gajeel?"

"...I suppose...I'll have to tell you all about that..."

Lucy laughed, "I'm listening."

* * *

Natsu watched Wendy walk along happily in front of him, humming to herself, with a bemused look on his face.

"Why so happy, huh?" He asked, patting her on the head jokingly. "It is Monday, after all."

She ducked away, giggling. Usually she would have grumbled, but she only smiled. Her sunny disposition was contagious, and Natsu found himself smiling without any reason.

"Just 'cause we're going to get Lucy-senpai, right? My OTP will be right there, in front of me!"

Natsu chuckled, "I'm telling you, Wendy, you watch way too much anime..."

They arrived outside Lucy's front gate just as she was coming down her front path. Natsu smiled and waved casually in greeting, but his heart was pounding inside his chest (He was getting really tired of it doing that. Seriously, he was going to give himself a heart attack or something...).

"Hey." Lucy smiled as she reached the gate and unlatched it, stepping out onto the sidewalk. They started to walk in the direction of the school, Wendy a little way ahead.

"She sure is happy, this morning." Lucy noted, nodding towards the little blue-haired in front of her.

"Yeah, her 'OTP' or something got together. By that, I mean...us." He half-smiled when he said the last part-saying 'us', as in, together, felt good.

"Aw, that's so cute." Lucy smiled in Wendy's direction. "I wish I had a sister like Wendy."

Natsu wrapped his hand around Lucy's, turning his head to look at her. She noticed for the first time the bruises from the other night, slightly faded but still quite prominent in the daylight.

"Do they still hurt?" She asked gently, reaching a hand up and brushing her fingers across his jawline.

"Nah, they're fine." Natsu assured, "After all, it was just Tanaka. I can take him on any day."

Lucy looked in front of her again, stopping in her tracks and frowning. "Speak of the devil." She muttered, nodding in front of her. A little way ahead of them, just in front of Wendy, Isamu stood, the bruises on his face worse than Natsu's, especially in the light. They were dark purple in colour and contrasted heavily with his pale skin. He glared in Natsu's direction, the usual false charm and confidence replaced with hatred and rivalry.

Natsu stared coldly at him as they approached him, stopping in front of him.

"Tanaka." He said curtly, glaring.

"Dragneel."

Wendy, sensing the tense atmosphere, stopped and went back to stand next to Lucy, looking curiously up at Isamu, who she'd never seen before.

"This your little sister?" Isamu asked, nodding towards Wendy.

"Yeah. What's it to you?"

"Nothing." He said, the confident smirk returning to his face for the first time, "Just wondering does she know how much of a moron her older brother is."

"Hey!" Wendy protested indignantly, taking a step forward, "You leave Natsu-nii alone!"

"Hm," Isamu's lip curled into a snarl, "Shut it, shrimp. Stay out of this."

"Don't talk to her like that." Natsu growled, letting go of Lucy's hand and stepping forward in front of Lucy and Wendy protectively. "It's enough you won't leave me the hell alone, but there's no way you're bringing Wendy into this."

"You just wait, Dragneel." Isamu snarled, turning away from them. "You just wait." He started to walk away, and Lucy had to fight every urge to run after his retreating form and kick him into oblivion.

"He wasn't nice at all." Wendy said distastefully, frowning. "Who was he, Natsu-nii?"

"No-one you need to worry about, Wendy. Let's just go." The three of them began to walk again, and without saying a word, Lucy took hold of his hand, to try be of some comfort to him.

* * *

The first thing that Natsu and Lucy were greeted with as they walked into their classroom was Grey, clapping slowly as he grinned mischeviously at them from his position on top of his desk.

"Well, well, well," He began, standing up and shoving his hands in his pockets. "If it isn't the two lovebirds."

"Who told you?" Natsu said, trying to frown as a faint pink blush warmed his cheeks.

"Juvia told me." Grey smirked, "After she heard it from Levy, of course."

"Don't tell me YOU'RE together now, are you?" Lucy asked bemusedly, referring to Grey and Juvia.

Instead of scoffing like she'd expected, Grey's jaw dropped and he stammered, "H-how did-?! Not...really...kind of..."

"I was kidding!" Lucy squealed, "You are?! Really?"

Grey placed a hand on the back of his head sheepishly, "Well...yeah..."

"And you call US lovebirds." Natsu snorted.

"Speaking of which, I think something's going on between Levy and Gajeel, too..."

"Holy crap, are we all just coupled together?" Grey exclaimed. "Who does that even leave?"

"Well, obviously not Mira and Elfman, they're siblings..." Natsu began to count on his fingers, "I think Erza and Jellal might be...Loke's with...oh, no-one. That leaves..." His eyes suddenly widened and he froze, then rushed out the door and started down the hall.

"Natsu, wait!" Lucy called, "What? What's going on?"

"Wendy and Romeo!" He shouted over his shoulder, "I can't let my little sister have a boyfriend, not yet!"

Lucy sighed as she watched him sprint down the corridor, raising her eyebrows and shaking her head. Poor Romeo was in for it.

* * *

"You didn't HAVE to be so mean!" Wendy scolded.

"Oh, come on!" Natsu protested, "You're too young!"

"We're not even together!" Wendy shrieked, hitting him with her school bag.

"Ow! Hey!"

"That's what you get!"

Lucy ducked out of the way as Wendy's school bag came dangerously near to whacking her in the face. She could understand why Wendy was so mad at her older brother-he had charged into their classroom, yelled incoherent declarations of war and something that sounded like 'How dare you corrupt my sister?!' at Romeo and then tried to fight him. Now, as they were walking home, Wendy was finally taking her revenge. Lucy sighed- as much as she loved Natsu, she had to admit, he was really dense, way too dense for his own good.

"I still can't believe you would DO that!" Wendy exclaimed, crossing her arms angrily and stalking ahead of them. "You really embarassed me, Natsu-nii, and you hurt Romeo-chan!"

"Oh, come ON, Wendy! It was one punch!" Natsu grumbled after her, "ONE! It's not my fault he wouldn't hit me back..."

"Because HE has actual SENSE!"

"Listen he-"

Lucy placed a hand on Natsu's shoulder carefully, stopping him in his tracks. "Natsu," She began as he turned to face her, "Maybe you should just leave her alone for a bit. I know how she feels-being embarassed at that age feels like the world ended. Just let her cool off and talk to her later."

Natsu sighed deeply, falling into step beside Lucy. "Yeah, I guess you're right, Lucy. She doesn't get it, though."

"I know you're worried." Lucy assured, "But she has to grow up sometime, right? And Romeo's a nice kid, from what I can tell, so if it's him she likes then so be it."

"Yeah. Still, though. He could've at least _tried_ to fight me."

"Let it go, Natsu."

"Fine, fine. Just sayin'."

They walked along in silence for a moment, listening to the cicadas chirping in the summer heat. Lucy froze suddenly and grabbed hold of Natsu's sleeve.

"Natsu-"

She pointed, her outstretched hand leading towards a car. It was speeding crazily along the road, rapidly towards-

"Wendy!" Natsu roared, starting to sprint down the sidewalk. She had stalked ahead of them in her bad mood and was halfway across the road, the car heading towards her. Natsu cut sharply across the road and over to her, yelling her name, and pushed her roughly out of the way.

Lucy watched, frozen, unable to do anything as the car hit Natsu. He was sent sprawling into the road, hitting the pavement heavily as the car veered past him and kept driving. Lucy couldn't focus on anything, not the fact that twhoever it was had kept moving, that Natsu was sprawled on the ground,that he wasn't moving-

Nothing. Her mind was empty. What did she do, what did she do?!

Gasping, she ran, her whole body shaking as she reached him.

The only sound around her was Wendy's scream.

* * *

**A/N: GASP! Cliffhanger! That escelated quickly...  
**

**Well, can't say I didn't warn you, mwhahahaha...**

**(Also, I apologise to InLoveWithFairyTail if this part looks like I'm plageurising an event in one of your fanfics..that was not my intention!)**

**I'm a mean person, aren't I? Hehehehehe...**

**Until next time, minna-san! ^-^**


End file.
